International SEO Services
International SEO that sets up your site so search engines show the right country and language version to the right people, with keywords researched for each market.
What's included
- A market-by-market plan for which countries and languages to target first
- A recommendation on site structure: country domains, subfolders or subdomains
- Hreflang setup and validation so each page points to its language and country versions
- Localized keyword research in each target language, not just translated terms
- Localized titles, meta descriptions and headings for priority pages
- Content localization guidance covering currency, units, spelling and local terms
- Checks for duplicate content, wrong-language indexing and redirect problems
- A language or country selector that helps visitors without forcing redirects
- Monthly reporting by market
Who it's for
International SEO is for businesses that want customers outside the US, or that serve people in more than one language inside it. Typical examples are online stores that ship abroad, software and digital products with customers in several countries, tourism and hospitality businesses courting foreign visitors, and service companies that want Spanish-language pages for US customers.
The problems we fix tend to look like this:
- Your UK or Canadian visitors land on US pages with the wrong prices, spelling or shipping details.
- You translated the site, but the translated pages barely show up in search.
- Google shows your English page to Spanish-speaking searchers, or the other way round.
- Your site redirects visitors by location, and search engines can't see some versions at all.
- You are about to launch a new market and want the structure right before you build it.
Getting international SEO wrong is expensive to undo, because it usually means moving URLs and rebuilding tags across the whole site. It is far cheaper to set it up properly the first time.
Common international SEO mistakes
Most international SEO problems come from a few decisions that seemed sensible at the time:
- Redirecting by IP address. Sending every visitor from Germany to the German page sounds helpful, but search engine crawlers mostly visit from the US, so they may never see your other versions. Suggest the right version with a banner instead, and let people choose.
- Hreflang on some pages but not others. Hreflang only works when every version of a page points to every other version. One-way tags are usually ignored.
- Using flags as language choices. A Spanish speaker in the US doesn't identify with the flag of Spain. Label languages by name.
- Translating the page but not the metadata. A Spanish page with an English title tag sends mixed signals and looks odd in search results.
- Same content, different country, nothing localized. A US page and a UK page that are identical, down to prices in dollars, give search engines little reason to show the UK version to UK searchers.
We look for each of these in the first review, whether your international pages already exist or are still being planned.
How we do it
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1. Choose markets and structure
We start by agreeing which countries and languages matter, and in what order. Then we recommend a structure. For most small businesses that means subfolders on your main domain, but we will explain the trade-offs if country domains or subdomains fit your situation better. We also check what your platform supports, since Shopify, WordPress and custom builds each handle multiple languages differently.
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2. Research keywords in each market
Through keyword research, we look at keywords in each target language and country separately. Translating your English keyword list is not enough. People in different markets use different words, different spellings and sometimes search for different things entirely. We build a keyword set for each market and match those keywords to the pages that will target them.
Keyword research - 3
3. Set up and validate hreflang
This is the technical heart of the work. Every page that exists in more than one version needs hreflang tags that point to all its alternates, including itself, with correct language and country codes and a sensible default. We run hreflang checks across the whole site to look for missing return tags, wrong codes, links to redirected or broken pages, and conflicts with canonical tags. Then we fix them or give your developer an exact list.
Hreflang checks - 4
4. Localize the pages that matter most
We work through your priority pages in each market: titles, meta descriptions, headings and on-page copy guidance so they target local keywords. We flag the details that make a page feel foreign, such as the wrong currency, measurement units, date formats, phone formats and spelling. We also review your language selector so visitors can switch versions easily without being forced by automatic redirects.
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5. Monitor each market
After launch we watch indexing and rankings market by market. We look for pages showing up in the wrong country, versions that aren't being indexed, and new hreflang errors caused by site changes. International sites drift over time as pages are added, so regular checks matter.
What you receive
At the start you receive a written international plan: target markets, recommended site structure with reasons, the keyword set for each market and a prioritized list of pages to localize.
After the technical setup you get an hreflang audit showing what was fixed and anything left for your developer, with the exact tags or changes needed.
Every month you receive a report broken down by market, showing keyword rankings in each country and language, indexing status for each version of the site, new errors found and fixed, and the pages localized that month. You can see at a glance which markets are gaining ground and where to focus next.
Pricing: custom quote after a free review
International work depends on how many countries and languages you target and how your site is built today, so we quote after a free review. Some clients start with one extra market and add more later.
Frequently asked questions
Something else? Call (866) 571-4320.
What is hreflang, and do I need it?
Hreflang is a tag that tells search engines which version of a page is meant for which language or country. If you have the same page in English for the US and English for the UK, or in English and Spanish, you almost certainly need it. Without it, search engines may show the wrong version or treat the pages as duplicates.
Should I use country domains, subfolders or subdomains?
Each works. Subfolders such as /es/ or /uk/ keep all your authority on one domain and are the easiest to manage, so they suit most small businesses. Country domains send a strong local signal but mean building authority for each one separately. We recommend a structure after looking at your markets, your platform and how much content you can maintain in each market.
Can I just machine-translate my site?
Machine translation is a reasonable first draft, but it misses how people in each market actually search. A product might have a different everyday name in Mexico than in Spain, for example. We research keywords in each language so the translated pages target the words people really use, and we recommend a fluent reviewer before anything goes live.
Do you write content in other languages?
We handle the SEO side in every market: research, structure, hreflang, titles and on-page guidance. For the translated copy itself we work with your translators or native-speaking reviewers, so the final text reads naturally to local customers.
Will adding other languages hurt my US rankings?
Not when it is set up correctly. Proper hreflang and a clear structure keep each version in its own lane. Problems usually come from automatic redirects based on location, duplicate pages without hreflang, or half-translated pages, and those are exactly what we check for.
How soon will I rank in a new country?
We can't promise a timeframe. A new market is close to starting from scratch, and results depend on your site, the local competition and how much content and authority you build there. We will show you progress market by market every month.
Planning to reach customers in another country?
Tell us about your business in a short chat. We review your website and contact you within one business day, with no obligation.