Definition
International SEO encompasses strategies and techniques that allow a website to be visible in search engines of different countries and in different languages. It involves crucial technical decisions such as URL structure choice (ccTLD, subdomains, or subdirectories), hreflang tag implementation to indicate target language and country for each page, and multilingual content management. International SEO goes beyond simple translation: it requires content localization, per-market link building strategy, understanding of each local search engine's specifics (Baidu in China, Yandex in Russia, Naver in Korea), and adaptation to cultural search habits.
Key Points
- Hreflang tags are essential to avoid multilingual duplicate content
- Each market needs its own link building strategy with local backlinks
- Localization goes beyond translation: adapt content to cultural specifics
Practical Examples
Subdirectory deployment
A French e-commerce expanding to Spain and Germany opts for subdirectories (/es/ and /de/) with hreflang tags, acquires backlinks from Spanish and German sites via LemmiLink, and adapts content to local specifics. International organic traffic reaches 40% of total in 12 months.
Targeting error
A Swiss company creates a French-language site without hreflang tags. Google positions pages in France rather than French-speaking Switzerland. Adding hreflang fr-CH and creating a Swiss Google Business Profile corrects geographic targeting within weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
ccTLDs (.fr, .de, .es) send the strongest geographic signal but dilute domain authority. Subdirectories (/fr/, /de/) concentrate authority on a single domain and are recommended for most businesses. Subdomains are a middle ground. The choice depends on your resources, brand strategy, and number of target markets.
Yes, each country needs backlinks from same-country or same-language sites. A German backlink will have much more impact for your /de/ version than a French link. LemmiLink lets you filter publishers by country and language to build an adapted link profile for each target market.
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07