What It Is
Implement hreflang tags and language-specific content to rank in multiple languages and regions, capturing searchers who prefer to research and buy in their native language. Research cited by Christina Spaulding shows that 85% of buyers prefer purchasing in their first language — but most businesses only publish in English, leaving enormous international traffic and revenue on the table.
How It Works
- Identify which language markets have demand for your product by reviewing Google Search Console’s country breakdown in the Performance report — any country generating significant impressions but low clicks warrants a localized page
- Create language-specific subdirectories (/es/, /fr/, /de/) or subdomains (es.domain.com) — subdirectories are generally easier to maintain and inherit domain authority
- Implement hreflang tags in the HTTP header or XML sitemap for every language variant pair — the hreflang must be bidirectional (every page in the set references every other page)
- Translate content using DeepL for initial draft (significantly outperforms Google Translate for European languages), then have a native speaker review specifically for cultural accuracy and marketing claims
- Build links from country-specific domains (.es, .fr, .de) to your localized pages — regional link authority is a significant ranking factor in Google’s regional data centers
Who Recommends It
- Christina Spaulding — Unscripted SEO (International SEO)endorses
- Erika Varangouli — Unscripted SEOendorses
Hard
3–6 months
Related
◗ Go deeper — from the podcast
International SEO, straight from the practitioners
Before you touch an hreflang tag, hear how working SEOs actually run cross-border and multilingual campaigns — from agency strategists to a photographer who took these tactics global. These Unscripted SEO guests have been in the trenches on international search:
Christina Spaulding
Manzanita Marketing
German & French SEO, hreflang done right, and why 85% of buyers convert better in their first language — with real case studies.
Listen →Jonathan Schüßler
Wedding Photographer · Germany
International SEO from the field: ranking “wedding photographer Heidelberg,” chasing destination weddings in Tuscany & the Riviera, and using German keywords to win Italian venues.
Listen →Lidia Infante
Senior SEO · Global markets
Scaling SEO across regions and languages, and the strategy behind ranking in multiple countries at once.
Listen →Erika Varangouli
SEO Brand & Community
Building SEO programs that travel across borders — international expansion, brand, and search working together.
Listen →