International SEO for Brands That Think Beyond Borders

The most important international SEO decision is your domain architecture. ccTLDs, subdomains, or subdirectories - each has different implications for authority, cost, and geo-targeting.

We evaluate:

- ccTLDs (.com.au, .co.uk, .de) - strongest geo-targeting signal, but authority doesn't transfer between domains - Subdirectories (example.com/au/, example.com/uk/) - consolidates authority on one domain, easier to manage, strong geo-targeting via Search Console - Subdomains (au.example.com) - treated as separate sites by Google, weakest option for most cases

For most businesses, subdirectories are the right choice. You keep your domain authority concentrated, management is simpler, and geo-targeting through Search Console is reliable.

But if you're entering markets where local domains carry trust (China, Japan, Germany), ccTLDs may be necessary. We make this decision based on your target markets, resources, and competitive landscape - not a template. Our international SEO strategy guide walks through the full decision framework.

We also handle the technical architecture: URL structures, locale-specific sitemaps, hreflang integration, and server-side language detection (without cloaking, which Google penalises).

Hreflang is simultaneously the most important and most frequently broken element of international SEO. Over 75% of international sites have significant hreflang errors.

We implement hreflang correctly from the start:

- Self-referencing tags on every page (the most commonly missed requirement) - Bidirectional return tags between all language/country versions - Correct ISO language and country codes (en-AU, not en-au or en_AU) - x-default tag pointing to the correct fallback version - Consistent implementation method (HTTP headers, HTML tags, or sitemap - not a mix) - Coverage of every page, not just the homepage

For large sites, we implement hreflang via XML sitemaps rather than HTML tags. This keeps page markup clean, is easier to maintain at scale, and avoids the HTML size bloat that thousands of hreflang tags can cause.

We validate implementation using automated crawls, not just spot-checking. Every hreflang error in Search Console gets traced back to its source and fixed — this validation is a core component of any international SEO audit.

Translation is not localisation. Localisation is not international content strategy.

People in different countries search differently - different keywords, different intent, different content expectations. 'Car insurance' in the US is 'motor insurance' in the UK. A comparison guide format that converts in Australia may not work in Japan where trust signals and brand authority matter more.

Our content strategy for each market includes:

- Keyword research using local search engines and local tools (Google.com.au vs Google.co.uk vs Google.de return different results) - Competitor analysis specific to each target market (your international competitors are different from your domestic ones) - Content format analysis - what ranks in each market may require different content types - Cultural adaptation - not just language, but tone, references, examples, currency, measurement systems, and compliance requirements - Local topic opportunities - searches that exist in one market but not another

We don't translate your existing content and call it international SEO. We build content strategies that are native to each market - informed by your global brand but executed locally.

Your domain authority doesn't automatically transfer to new markets. Even with a subdirectory approach, ranking in a new country requires local authority signals.

We build market-specific authority through:

- Local link building targeting country-specific publications and directories - Local digital PR campaigns crafted for each market's media landscape - Local citation building on country-specific business directories - Partnerships with local industry organisations and associations - Content promotion through local social channels and communities

For markets with different search engines (Baidu in China, Yandex in Russia, Naver in South Korea), we adapt the entire strategy. Baidu's ranking factors are fundamentally different from Google's - what works on Google may actively hurt you on Baidu.

We prioritise markets based on opportunity size and build authority sequentially rather than spreading resources thin across 10 countries simultaneously. Better to dominate 3 markets than be invisible in 10.

International SEO has technical requirements that go beyond standard technical SEO:

- Server response headers for language negotiation (Content-Language, Vary headers) - Geolocation-based redirects that work for users without violating Google's guidelines - International sitemap implementation with hreflang annotation - CDN configuration for fast load times in each target market - Search Console property setup for each country target - Currency and pricing display without creating duplicate content issues

We set up separate Google Search Console properties for each country target, with international targeting configured correctly. This gives us granular visibility into how each market is performing.

Monitoring includes market-specific rank tracking, country-level organic traffic analysis, hreflang validation crawls, and regular audits of cross-market cannibalisation. When your UK page starts outranking your US page for US searches, we catch it immediately.