International SEO
Selling into a new country is not a translation job. It is a different search market, with different competitors and different words for the same thing. We build the structure and local content that gets Google to serve the right version to the right buyer.
- Hreflang set up
properly - URL architecture
that scales - Native-language
research
Illustrative example: a sample map of country versions of one site, each linked to the others.
International SEO
Why most international expansions stall
Businesses rarely fail overseas because the product is wrong. They fail because the website was translated, not localised, and Google was never told which version belongs to which country.
The symptom: your home market ranks, the new market ranks for nothing, and Search Console shows the wrong pages in the wrong countries. It is structural, and fixable.
Results in numbers
-
7.8x
Average ROAS across Google Ads campaigns*
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$3.4M+
Media managed*
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14+
Years of data-driven results*
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62+
Businesses grown*
The framework
Our global expansion framework
Technical architecture
The URL structure decision, then hreflang validated in both directions. It breaks quietly.
Native localisation
Keyword research in the target language first, then content written to it: currency, units, spelling, local terms.
Regional authority
Links and citations from domains in the market you are entering, so Google sees a recognised local entity.
Targeting
How to target different countries in SEO
A URL structure that separates each market.
Subdirectories in most cases.
Hreflang tags that map them to each other.
Referenced in both directions, or ignored.
Content localised for how that market actually searches.
Researched in the target language, then written.
We recommend subdirectories in most cases, and will say plainly when yours is an exception.
Choosing your URL structure
| Structure | Example | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Subdirectory | site.com/uk/ | Most businesses. Inherits your existing domain authority. |
| Country domain | site.co.uk | Strongest geographic signal, but starts from zero authority. Needs real budget per market. |
| Subdomain | uk.site.com | Rarely the best answer. Inherits authority less reliably than a subdirectory. |
Pitfalls
The four mistakes that waste the most money
Machine translation with no local review.
It reads as foreign and targets the wrong search terms.
Hreflang that only points one way.
If page A references B but B does not reference A, Google discards the pair.
Auto-redirecting by IP address.
It blocks Googlebot from your other versions and frustrates travellers. Offer a choice instead.
Launching five markets at once.
Each needs its own research, content and links. One market done properly beats five done thinly.
Scope
What international SEO includes
- Market research: which countries want what you sell, before you build anything
- URL architecture and hreflang implementation, validated rather than assumed
- Native keyword research in each target language
- Content localisation, from currency to spelling and local terms
- Region-specific authority building: local links carry weight that home-market links lack
- Geo-targeting configured in Search Console for each property
- Reporting split by market, so you see which ones earn their keep
Cost and timing
What international SEO costs
The cost
Cost scales with the number of markets, not pages, because each market needs its own localised research and authority building. In our experience Australian retainers commonly run $2,500 to $7,000 a month for a single market.
Our pricing is competitive because AI-enabled delivery means fewer hands between the audit and the finished work, and as AI advances we pass savings on where we can. No lock-in, 30 day terms.
How long it takes
Expect early movement in about 8 to 12 weeks in a new market, and longer than a domestic campaign, because you are building authority from a lower base. Hreflang fixes can register within weeks if the implementation was broken.
If your growth is Australia-wide rather than global, ecommerce SEO is usually the better starting point.
Testimonials
What SEO clients say
“Dizian has been an integral partner in our online business requirements for the last 5 years. Alex has been attentive to all of our digital needs and has allowed us to grow our online presence in a very competitive industry. We are very pleased with his services and continue to see positive results.”
Dr. Jena WardPrincipal Dentist, Skye Dental
“Dizian Digital made our move to satphoneshop.com.au seamless and handled the transition with care and professionalism. They protected our search visibility throughout the process and helped strengthen our online presence in the Australian market. Beyond the migration, they improved the structure and performance of our campaigns, which helped us attract more of the right customers and generate better quality enquiries and sales. They were proactive, clear in their communication, and genuinely took the time to understand our business, our products, and the importance of trust and reliability in the satellite communications space.”
“We were looking for an agile, responsive and strategic digital partner to help manage our website. Dizian met our brief and continues to deliver beyond expectations, providing proactive and valuable SEO and data-driven expertise.”
“We found Dizian through a trusted referral, and I’m glad we did. Before engaging Alex, our SEO and Google Ads were honestly in a mess. There was no clear structure, money was being spent without clarity, and campaigns were being tested without a proper strategy. Alex came in, reviewed everything thoroughly, and cleaned up a lot of loose ends. He brought structure, accountability, and clarity to our digital marketing. It immediately removed the headache of wasted ad spend and uncertainty. Unlike many SEO agencies out there, Dizian genuinely takes the time to understand the client’s requirements, the products, and the overall business model. Alex didn’t apply a generic template — he took the time to understand what we do and aligned the strategy accordingly. What stands out most to me is Alex’s integrity and character. He is trustworthy, transparent, and genuinely committed to helping his clients succeed. His depth of knowledge and experience is strong.”
Irwandy TanDirector, Andatech
International SEO FAQ
Questions, answered.
Not here? Ask on the call (opens in a new tab), it's free.
It scales with the number of markets rather than the number of pages, because each market needs its own keyword research, its own localisation and its own authority building. In our experience Australian retainers commonly run $2,500 to $7,000 a month for a single market. Our pricing is competitive because AI-enabled delivery means fewer hands between the audit and the finished work, and as AI advances we pass savings on where we can.
No, and this is the most common and expensive mistake. Direct translation misses how people in that market actually phrase a search, so you end up ranking for words nobody types. Proper localisation means researching demand in the target language first, then writing to it, rather than translating what worked at home.
Subdirectories, in most cases. They inherit your existing domain authority, which is the expensive thing to build. Country-code domains send the strongest geographic signal but start from zero authority each time, so they only pay off with real budget behind each market. Subdomains sit awkwardly between the two.
Hreflang is an HTML attribute telling search engines which language and region each version of a page is for. You need it as soon as you have more than one version of similar content, for example an Australian and a UK page. Without it Google guesses, and it often guesses wrong, sending UK buyers to your AU pricing.
Three things have to line up: a URL structure that separates each market, hreflang tags telling Google which version belongs to which language and country, and content localised for how people in that market actually search. Miss any one and Google serves the wrong version, or treats your markets as duplicate content.
SEO services
Other SEO services
All-in-one Google packageHybrid package for business owners
All of Google, run as one package.
Your ads, search rankings, map listing and tracking often sit with different suppliers. Here they sit with one team. AI is moving quickly and so are we. Our people do the research and make the decisions, and AI helps organise and summarise the work around them.
Google Ads
Every campaign type, managed month to month.
SEO
Rankings and organic enquiries that build over time.
AI search visibility
Be the business that AI Overviews and AI assistants name when people ask.
Google Business Profile
Your map listing and reviews, kept current and ranking in your area. It sits inside our local SEO work.
Google Analytics
Tracking set up properly, so the numbers can be trusted.
Google Tag Manager
Conversions and events tagged in one place, without developer hold-ups.
Google Search Console
Indexing problems and search opportunities spotted early.
Everything else Google
Merchant Centre, dashboards and the rest of Google for business, added as you need it.
One team across all of it.
Priced on your setup and quoted in your free audit.
You’re almost ready. Let’s finalise a few details.
Arrange a time for a no-obligation audit to understand where you stand in your market. You’ll be surprised how much research we do before we speak to you.
Alex Yeldizian
Managing Director
Dizian is run by Alex Yeldizian: one point of contact, backed by specialists and AI-enabled ways of working. 14 years in Melbourne.
62+ businesses grown