Welcome to the global stage of digital presence! In today’s interconnected world, reaching audiences across multiple countries is a game-changer for businesses striving to expand their online footprint. International SEO emerges as the protagonist in this narrative, wielding the power to propel your website’s visibility and traffic on a global scale. In this blog journey, we embark on an exploration of the strategies and nuances of International SEO, unravelling the secrets to efficiently connect with diverse audiences across borders. Buckle up for a virtual expedition into the realm of generating traffic from multiple countries and navigating the intricate landscapes of the ever-evolving international digital arena.
What is International SEO?
International SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a digital marketing strategy aimed at optimizing a website’s online presence to attract and engage a global audience and rank well in search engines across the globe. The goal of international SEO is to enhance a website’s visibility in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for users across different countries and regions. This involves tailoring website content, structure, and other elements to cater to the preferences and languages of diverse audiences.
Key Aspects of International SEO
Hreflang Tags
These are bits of code that you add to your website’s pages. They indicate to search engines like Google what language you’re using on a specific page and the geographical target audience for that page. For example, you might have an English page targeted to users in the UK and a Spanish version for users in Spain.
They prevent language or regional duplicates from competing with each other in search engine results. They also improve the user experience by directing users to the version of your site that’s most relevant to them.


How to Implement Hreflang Tags?
- You add hreflang tags in the head section of your HTML code for each page. The tag needs two main bits of information: the language code (like ‘en’ for English, ‘es’ for Spanish) and the region code (like ‘GB’ for Great Britain, ‘ES’ for Spain).
- For example, if you have an English page targeted to the UK, your hreflang tag would look like this: <link rel=”alternate” href=”http://example.com/uk” hreflang=”en-gb” />
- If that same page has a Spanish version for Spain, you’d add another tag: <link rel=”alternate” href=”http://example.com/es” hreflang=”es-es” />
- Each page should have hreflang tags for every language version, including a tag for itself.
You can also add hreflang information to your XML sitemap. This is a bit more advanced but can be more efficient for large sites with lots of pages. Consistency is key. Ensure that each version of your page links to all other language versions, and that these links are consistent. This means if page A links to page B, then page B should link back to page A.
As you can notice, hreflang tag is using ISO 639-1 format to mark the language name and region. This is what search engines expect when you are trying to include hreflang tag in your page.
Please refer to the table below for the complete list of ISO 639-1 code reference:
639-1 code | ISO language name | Native name (endonym) |
---|---|---|
aa | Afar | Afaraf |
ab | Abkhaz | аҧсуа бызшәа |
ae | Avestan | avesta |
af | Afrikaans | Afrikaans |
ak | Akan | Akan |
am | Amharic | አማርኛ |
an | Aragonese | aragonés |
ar | Arabic | اللغة العربية |
as | Assamese | অসমীয়া |
av | Avaric | авар мацӀ |
ay | Aymara | aymar aru |
az | Azerbaijani | azərbaycan dili |
ba | Bashkir | башҡорт теле |
be | Belarusian | беларуская мова |
bg | Bulgarian | български език |
bh | Bihari | भोजपुरी |
bi | Bislama | Bislama |
bm | Bambara | bamanankan |
bn | Bengali | বাংলা |
bo | Tibetan | བོད་ཡིག |
br | Breton | brezhoneg |
bs | Bosnian | bosanski jezik |
ca | Catalan | Català |
ce | Chechen | нохчийн мотт |
ch | Chamorro | Chamoru |
co | Corsican | corsu |
cr | Cree | ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ |
cs | Czech | čeština |
cu | Old Church Slavonic | ѩзыкъ словѣньскъ |
cv | Chuvash | чӑваш чӗлхи |
cy | Welsh | Cymraeg |
da | Danish | dansk |
de | German | Deutsch |
dv | Divehi | Dhivehi |
dz | Dzongkha | རྫོང་ཁ |
ee | Ewe | Eʋegbe |
el | Greek | Ελληνικά |
en | English | English |
eo | Esperanto | Esperanto |
es | Spanish | Español |
et | Estonian | eesti |
eu | Basque | euskara |
fa | Persian | فارسی |
ff | Fula | Fulfulde |
fi | Finnish | suomi |
fj | Fijian | Vakaviti |
fo | Faroese | føroyskt |
fr | French | Français |
fy | Western Frisian | Frysk |
ga | Irish | Gaeilge |
gd | Scottish Gaelic | Gàidhlig |
gl | Galician | galego |
gu | Gujarati | ગુજરાતી |
gv | Manx | Gaelg |
ha | Hausa | هَوُسَ |
he | Hebrew | עברית |
hi | Hindi | हिन्दी |
ho | Hiri Motu | Hiri Motu |
hr | Croatian | Hrvatski |
ht | Haitian | Kreyòl ayisyen |
hu | Hungarian | magyar |
hy | Armenian | Հայերեն |
hz | Herero | Otjiherero |
ia | Interlingua | Interlingua |
id | Indonesian | Bahasa Indonesia |
ie | Interlingue | Interlingue |
ig | Igbo | Asụsụ Igbo |
ii | Nuosu | ꆈꌠ꒿ Nuosuhxop |
ik | Inupiaq | Iñupiaq |
io | Ido | Ido |
is | Icelandic | Íslenska |
it | Italian | Italiano |
iu | Inuktitut | ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ |
ja | Japanese | 日本語 |
jv | Javanese | basa Jawa |
ka | Georgian | ქართული |
kg | Kongo | Kikongo |
ki | Kikuyu | Gĩkũyũ |
kj | Kwanyama | Kuanyama |
kk | Kazakh | қазақ тілі |
kl | Kalaallisut | kalaallisut |
km | Khmer | ខេមរភាសា |
kn | Kannada | ಕನ್ನಡ |
ko | Korean | 한국어 |
kr | Kanuri | Kanuri |
ks | Kashmiri | कश्मीरी |
ku | Kurdish | Kurdî |
kv | Komi | коми кыв |
kw | Cornish | Kernewek |
ky | Kyrgyz | Кыргызча |
la | Latin | latine |
lb | Luxembourgish | Lëtzebuergesch |
lg | Ganda | Luganda |
li | Limburgish | Limburgs |
ln | Lingala | Lingála |
lo | Lao | ພາສາ |
lt | Lithuanian | lietuvių kalba |
lu | Luba-Katanga | Tshiluba |
lv | Latvian | latviešu valoda |
mg | Malagasy | fiteny malagasy |
mh | Marshallese | Kajin M̧ajeļ |
mi | Māori | te reo Māori |
mk | Macedonian | македонски јазик |
ml | Malayalam | മലയാളം |
mn | Mongolian | Монгол хэл |
mr | Marathi | मराठी |
ms | Malay | Bahasa Malaysia |
mt | Maltese | Malti |
my | Burmese | ဗမာစာ |
na | Nauru | Ekakairũ Naoero |
nb | Norwegian Bokmål | Norsk bokmål |
nd | Northern Ndebele | isiNdebele |
ne | Nepali | नेपाली |
ng | Ndonga | Owambo |
nl | Dutch | Nederlands |
nn | Norwegian Nynorsk | Norsk nynorsk |
no | Norwegian | Norsk |
nr | Southern Ndebele | isiNdebele |
nv | Navajo | Diné bizaad |
ny | Chichewa | chiCheŵa |
oc | Occitan | occitan |
oj | Ojibwe | ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ |
om | Oromo | Afaan Oromoo |
or | Oriya | ଓଡ଼ିଆ |
os | Ossetian | ирон æвзаг |
pa | Panjabi | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ |
pi | Pāli | पाऴि |
pl | Polish | Polski |
ps | Pashto | پښتو |
pt | Portuguese | Português |
qu | Quechua | Runa Simi |
rm | Romansh | rumantsch grischun |
rn | Kirundi | Ikirundi |
ro | Romanian | Română |
ru | Russian | Русский |
rw | Kinyarwanda | Ikinyarwanda |
sa | Sanskrit | संस्कृतम् |
sc | Sardinian | sardu |
sd | Sindhi | सिन्धी |
se | Northern Sami | Davvisámegiella |
sg | Sango | yângâ tî sängö |
si | Sinhala | සිංහල |
sk | Slovak | slovenčina |
sl | Slovenian | slovenščina |
sn | Shona | chiShona |
so | Somali | Soomaaliga |
sq | Albanian | Shqip |
sr | Serbian | српски језик |
ss | Swati | SiSwati |
st | Southern Sotho | Sesotho |
su | Sundanese | Basa Sunda |
sv | Swedish | Svenska |
sw | Swahili | Kiswahili |
ta | Tamil | தமிழ் |
te | Telugu | తెలుగు |
tg | Tajik | тоҷикӣ |
th | Thai | ไทย |
ti | Tigrinya | ትግርኛ |
tk | Turkmen | Türkmen |
tl | Tagalog | Wikang Tagalog |
tn | Tswana | Setswana |
to | Tonga | faka Tonga |
tr | Turkish | Türkçe |
ts | Tsonga | Xitsonga |
tt | Tatar | татар теле |
tw | Twi | Twi |
ty | Tahitian | Reo Tahiti |
ug | Uyghur | ئۇيغۇرچە |
uk | Ukrainian | Українська |
ur | Urdu | اردو |
uz | Uzbek | Ўзбек |
ve | Venda | Tshivenḓa |
vi | Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt |
vo | Volapük | Volapük |
wa | Walloon | walon |
wo | Wolof | Wollof |
xh | Xhosa | isiXhosa |
yi | Yiddish | ייִדיש |
yo | Yoruba | Yorùbá |
za | Zhuang | Saɯ cueŋƅ |
zh | Chinese | 中文 |
zu | Zulu | isiZulu |
Geotargeting
In the context of digital marketing, it is a strategy that involves tailoring online content and advertisements to specific geographical locations or regions. This approach allows businesses to deliver more relevant and personalized experiences to users based on their location. Geotargeting is particularly valuable for reaching local audiences and ensuring that the content resonates with the cultural and geographical context of a particular region.
When you implement geo-targeting, you typically rely on a visitor’s IP address to figure out where they are located. An IP address is a unique identifier for every device connected to the internet, and it can help determine the device’s geographical location. By using IP address redirection, which is done through the backend using .htaccess, you can automatically direct visitors based on their location. This way, when someone accesses your site, they get redirected to a version of it that is tailored to their geographical area.
Here are some examples of geotargeting in Amazon, a global retail giant, effectively uses geo-targeting to enhance its user experience and SEO:
- Redirecting to Local Stores
When a user visits your website, their IP address can be used to determine their geographic location. This could be as broad as a country or as specific as a city.
Example: When you visit Amazon’s website, it often automatically redirects you to the store relevant to your location. - Serve Localised Content
Once you know the user’s location, you can show them content that’s tailored to their region. This could include changing the language, currency, and local contact information, or even showing region-specific offers and products.
Example: Amazon shows you products that are available in your country and in some cases, products that are popular or trending in your region. The homepage of ‘www.amazon.co.uk’ will display products and deals that are more relevant to UK customers, such as items that are suited to UK weather conditions or holidays. - Adjust SEO Strategies
Use local keywords and phrases that resonate with users in each target location. Localised content should align with the search habits and preferences of users in that area.
Example: Depending on your location, Amazon will default to the local language and all contents of that region including regional best sellers and recommendations. The best sellers on www.amazon.ca would reflect the preferences and needs of Canadian customers. - Ensure Compliance with Local Laws
Be aware of and comply with local laws and regulations, especially around data privacy and digital content. This includes data privacy notices, digital content availability, payment and currency, language and communications and compliance pages.
Example: Due to licensing agreements and regional restrictions, the availability of digital content (e.g., movies, books, or music) may vary from one country to another. Users may receive notifications about content availability based on their location.
To implement geotargeting effectively, businesses can configure their website settings to target specific countries or regions, use tools like Google Search Console to set geotargeting preferences, and employ hreflang tags in HTML to specify language and regional targeting for each page. Crafting localized content, conducting keyword research tailored to each location, and building local citations and backlinks contribute to the success of geotargeting efforts.
Additionally, leveraging geotargeting features in PPC campaigns and on social media platforms allows businesses to engage local audiences more precisely. Geotargeting serves as a valuable strategy for businesses aiming to enhance their online presence and connect with diverse audiences on a regional level.
URL Structures: ccTLDs vs. Subdomains vs. Subfolders vs. Parameters
When managing an international website, how you structure your URLs is crucial for both user experience and SEO. There are four main methods: ccTLDs, subdomains, subfolders, and parameters.
- ccTLDs (Country Code Top-Level Domains)
These are country-specific domain names, such as .co.uk for the United Kingdom, .fr for France, or .jp for Japan. The pros of using ccTLDs are they provide a clear geo-targeting signal to both users and search engines. They can also boost user trust by showing a local presence. On the other hand, They can be expensive and time-consuming to set up, as you need to purchase and manage a separate domain for each country.
Example: Amazon uses country-specific domains for many of its international markets. For the UK, they use ‘www.amazon.co.uk’, for Germany ‘www.amazon.de’, and for Japan ‘www.amazon.co.jp’. Each of these domains is tailored to the specific country, both in language and in available products. - Subdomains
These are country or language-specific divisions within your main domain, like uk.example.com or fr.example.com. Subdomains are easier to set up than ccTLDs. They allow for some separation of site content and are good for targeting different languages or regions. But, They can be seen as separate entities by search engines, which might dilute your domain authority.
Hypothetical example: While Amazon primarily uses ccTLDs for its major markets, it could potentially use subdomains for specific purposes or test new markets. ‘us.amazon.com’ could be a subdomain specifically for the United States market, hosted within the main .com domain. - Subfolders (or Subdirectories)
These are sections of your main website dedicated to different regions or languages, like example.com/uk/’ or ‘example.com/fr/’. They’re simple to set up and maintain. They also keep all the domain authority under one roof, which can be beneficial for SEO. Hence, They might not provide as strong a geo-targeting signal as ccTLDs or subdomains.
Example: ‘www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html’ is a subfolder for the customer help section on the UK site. - Parameters
These are URL additions that specify content based on certain criteria, like ‘example.com?country=uk’ or ‘example.com?lang=fr’. The parameter pros are it’s easy to set up and doesn’t require a complex site structure. Keep in mind that they can be unclear to users and are generally the least favoured by search engines for international targeting.
Example: When searching for a product, you might see a URL like ‘www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=wireless+headphones’. Here, ‘?k=wireless+headphones’ is a parameter indicating the search query.
Multilingual Content
Multilingual content refers to the practice of creating and presenting information on a website or platform in more than one language. Imagine you have a website, and instead of having all the content in just English, you decide to provide the same information in French, Spanish, and German, for example. This way, people who speak different languages can understand and engage with your content more comfortably.
To make content multilingual, you might need to translate the text into different languages while also considering cultural differences. Use professional translators rather than relying solely on automated tools like Google Translate. This ensures that the information not only accurately conveys the message but is also culturally relevant to speakers of each language.
For beginners, it’s like opening your website to a global audience, welcoming visitors from various language backgrounds by speaking their language. This approach helps make your content more accessible and inclusive to people around the world who might not speak the same primary language.
Do regular review and update your multilingual content to maintain quality and relevance. This might include checking for translation errors or outdated cultural references. Encourage and monitor feedback from your international audience to understand what’s working and what needs improvement.
By effectively implementing multilingual content, you’re not just translating words; you’re bridging cultural gaps and making your content more accessible and engaging for a global audience.
Localized Content and Keywords
Localised content and keywords for international SEO mean tailoring your website’s content and keywords to suit the cultural and linguistic nuances of different target markets around the world.
Localised content means going beyond merely translating your content into different languages. Localisation means adapting your content to reflect the cultural preferences, values, and habits of your audience in a specific region. For example, if you’re localising content for the UK, you’d use British English spellings and phrases. You might also include references, images, and examples that resonate with a British audience.
Localised keywords because different regions may use different terms or phrases to search for the same thing. Localised keywords involve researching and using the specific words and phrases that your target audience in a particular region uses. For instance, while people in the US might search for “vacation rentals,” in the UK, the common term is “holiday lettings.” Both refer to the same service but are regionally distinct.
Mobile Optimization
Mobile optimisation for international SEO means making sure your website works brilliantly on mobile devices for users around the world. With more and more people browsing the web on their phones, your site must be as user-friendly on a mobile as it is on a desktop.


Have a responsive design. This means your website automatically adjusts to look great on any screen size, whether it’s a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Mobile users also often have less patience for slow-loading sites. Make sure it has fast loading speeds. Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to check your site’s loading speed and get suggestions for improvement.
On a smaller screen, cluttered or complex navigation becomes even more problematic. Keep your mobile site simple and intuitive. Creating an easy navigation would be very handy. Buttons and links should be easy to tap with a finger – not too small or too close together. It’s like making sure door handles are easy to grab and turn. Regularly test your website on various mobile devices to ensure it’s consistently functional and user-friendly. This is like doing spot checks in different rooms of a house to make sure everything’s in order.
Optimise your content by being concise on mobile. Large chunks of text can be overwhelming on small screens. Break text up with headings, bullet points, and images. For content-heavy sites, consider using AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). This is a Google-backed project that enables fast loading of pages on mobile devices.
Backlink Building
Search engines like Google view backlinks as an endorsement of your content. If sites, especially those that are themselves reputable and high-ranking, link to your website, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. It will increase the visibility and traffic because backlinks from international sites can help increase your visibility in those countries and bring in traffic from a global audience. It will also enhance credibility by having diverse backlinks from around the world can enhance the credibility of your website. It shows that your content is recognised globally.
How to Build Backlinks for International SEO?
The first step to getting backlinks is to have content that other sites want to link to. This could be high-quality, shareable content that contains informative blog posts, research, infographics, or any content that provides value.
Reach out to international websites! Identify reputable websites in the countries you’re targeting and reach out to them. You could suggest a guest post, or ask them to consider linking to relevant content on your site. If you have partnerships or relationships with businesses or influencers in other countries, see if there are opportunities for them to link to your site.
Being active in online communities and forums related to your industry can provide opportunities to get backlinks. Participate in international forums and discussions. Translate and localise your content. If you’re targeting specific countries, having content translated and localised for those audiences can make other sites in those regions more likely to link to you.
Lastly, use tools to identify opportunities. Some SEO tools can help you identify potential sites for backlinks and track your progress.
And that wraps up our journey through the ins and outs of generating traffic from multiple countries with international SEO. It’s a big world out there, and tapping into different markets can take your website to new heights. But if all this talk of hreflang tags, localised content, and backlink building feels a tad overwhelming, fear not. The Digital Cellar is here to lend a hand. As a savvy digital marketing agency, we’re all about helping your site not just grow its traffic but bloom with international potential. Whether you’re looking to make waves in new global markets or just give your site a bit of an international polish, we’ve got the skills and know-how to help you every step of the way. Let’s embark on this global adventure together and open up your website to the world!
This content was helped created by the use of AI (Artificial Intelligent) and thoroughly edited, fact-checked, and proofread by human to cater to audience