How to optimise your website for international SEO?

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Introduction to International SEO

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As an international digital agency, we have decided to provide you with all the key insights and best practices to help you successfully rank your website on an international level. If you don’t have the time to handle this yourself but have a dedicated budget for international SEO, feel free to contact us.

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Need an international SEO expert? Contact us for a tailor-made strategy.
Phone: +33611994659
Email: contact@antonanton.fr

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Expanding internationally is a strategic goal for many businesses, whether they are already well established abroad or are new ventures looking to launch directly on the global market (these types of businesses are often called "born globals").

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However, each country has its own culture and therefore requires a specific digital strategy to effectively understand the needs of future clients. For example, the way you communicate on your French website will differ from how you present information on a German website.

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Let’s start with a real-life example: Recently, we conducted a keyword research study for a French company that produces powdered food. We analysed both the French and Dutch markets. Our research revealed that Dutch consumers are more likely to search for powdered food for athletes, whereas French consumers search for powdered food mainly for pregnant women! These are two completely different target audiences.

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Without a well-adapted international SEO strategy, your website risks remaining invisible on foreign search engines. Optimising a website for international visibility requires a specific approach: language selection, site structure, content adaptation, and technical SEO.

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In this article, we will go through all the key steps to optimise your international SEO and gain visibility in foreign markets. Happy reading!

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1. Choosing the Right Site Structure for International SEO

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One of the first decisions in international SEO concerns website architecture. There are three main options for structuring your international website:

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Separate domain → mycompany.de, mycompany.co.uk

Subdomain → de.mycompany.com, uk.mycompany.com

Subdirectory → mycompany.com/de/, mycompany.com/uk/

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👉 Which option should you choose?

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A separate domain (.de for Germany, .fr for France) is recommended if you want a strong local presence.

A subdomain helps separate each language version but is harder to rank. However, it is cheaper to set up.

A subdirectory is often the best option, as it benefits from the main domain’s authority.

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For Germany, we often recommend using a local domain (.de) because German users tend to trust websites that are hosted in their country and written in their native language. Although Germans generally have a higher level of English than the French, they still prefer services presented in German.

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SEO Best Practices:
✅ Always declare the chosen structure in Google Search Console.
✅ Use hreflang tags to indicate the target language and country.

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Now, let’s move on to translation, an essential topic in international SEO.

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2. Translating and Localising Content

Translating a website is not enough! The content must be culturally adapted for foreign users:

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Local expressions and search terms
As an international SEO agency, we need to optimise our site for keywords containing "SEO." While "SEO" is commonly used in French, in Germany, it is often translated as "Suchmaschinenoptimierung." Be very careful with translations and always prefer expert translation over automated tools like ChatGPT or DeepL.

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Measurement units, currencies, and date formats should be adapted
A US-based website displaying prices in dollars will not perform well in Europe. It’s essential to convert currency and adapt formats accordingly.

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Cultural references
Avoid false friends or overly French-centric references. Here’s another example: one of our clients incorrectly translated a term into Dutch, which led to them selling coats—despite not being in the textile industry! We had to review the entire site and correct all the bad automatic translations. SEO improved significantly afterward.

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Mistakes to Avoid:
❌ Using Google Translate without human proofreading.
❌ Poor translations = Loss of credibility + Negative SEO impact.
✅ Solution: Use a native SEO copywriter for each market.

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📢 Need an SEO-optimised translation? We can help!
Phone: +33611994659
Email: contact@antonanton.fr

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3. Optimising Technical SEO for International Search Engines

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A well-structured website is essential for international SEO. Here are the key elements to focus on:

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Implementing Hreflang Tags
Hreflang tags help Google identify the language and target region of your website. Example:

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<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://mycompany.com/" /> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://mycompany.com/en/" /> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://mycompany.com/de/" />

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💡 Tip: Don’t forget the "x-default" version for users who don’t match any specific language version. Also, check implementation via Google Search Console to avoid errors.

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Choosing High-Performance, Local Hosting
Google favours websites that load quickly and are hosted in the target country.
For a German website, choose a German server. For a US website, opt for a US-based server. Using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) will also help improve loading speed internationally.

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A fast website = Better rankings + Improved user experience.

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4. Building an International Link-Building Strategy

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Link-building is a powerful tool for strengthening a website’s authority. For effective international SEO:

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Obtain local backlinks → For the German market, publish guest articles on platforms like t3n.de or onlinemarketing.de.

Avoid irrelevant backlinks → A French link on a Chinese website will have little impact.

Register on specialised directories → Yelp, Google My Business (local versions), etc.

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5. Monitoring and Analysing International SEO Performance

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Once your international SEO strategy is in place, performance must be monitored regularly:

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Google Search Console → Track the rankings of each language version.

Google Analytics → Analyse traffic sources and user behaviour.

Ahrefs / Semrush → Review backlinks and competitor rankings.

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🔎 Measure + Adjust = Long-term SEO success!

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We provide our clients with monthly SEO reports compiling all key performance indicators, helping them track increases in traffic and conversions.

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📢 Want to optimise your website for international markets?

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Contact