International
International SEO
Selling into more than one country introduces a problem that does not exist domestically: your own pages competing with each other in different markets.
Most international SEO problems come from one decision made early and casually: how to separate markets. Subdirectories, subdomains or separate domains each carry consequences that are expensive to reverse later.
The second problem is duplication. An Australian page and a New Zealand page saying nearly the same thing in the same language will compete, and Google will pick one, often not the one you wanted for that market.
This is genuinely specialist work with a narrow set of situations where it applies. If you sell in one country, you do not need it, and we will say so rather than finding a way to include it.
Who this suits
A good fit
- You genuinely sell into more than one country
- You have or plan market-specific pages
- The wrong country's page is ranking for your buyers
- You are planning expansion and want the structure right first
Probably not a fit
- You sell only in Australia, where this adds risk and no benefit
- You want traffic from countries you cannot serve
- You have one page serving every market and no plan to change that
What the work involves
-
Market structure
Subdirectory, subdomain or country domain, decided against your actual situation. This is the decision everything else inherits, and changing it later is a migration.
-
Hreflang implementation
Correct, reciprocal and complete. Partial hreflang is worse than none, because it tells Google something untrue with apparent confidence.
-
Cross-market duplication
Handling near-identical pages in the same language so markets stop competing with each other.
-
Local relevance signals
Currency, spelling, contact details and regional context, which affect both ranking and whether a buyer trusts the page.
-
Market prioritisation
An honest read on which markets are worth building for, because doing several badly is worse than doing one properly.
How it runs
-
Assess the markets
Where demand genuinely exists and where you can actually service it.
-
Decide the structure
Once, carefully, since it is expensive to revisit.
-
Implement and validate
Hreflang built and then tested, because it fails silently.
-
Monitor by market
Reporting split by country, since a global average conceals every problem worth finding.
Common questions
Do I need hreflang for Australia and New Zealand?
If you have separate pages for each, yes. Two pages in near-identical English will otherwise compete, and Google will choose one for both markets.
Subdirectories or country domains?
Subdirectories for most Australian businesses expanding. They inherit the authority of the main domain, which matters enormously when you are starting from nothing in a new market.
Can I just target everyone with one site?
Often yes, and often that is the right answer. One strong site beats five weak localised ones. Only split markets when there is a real difference worth expressing.
What clients say
SeoServicePerth.com was a pleasure to work with. They delivered a professional, high-quality SEO service for my medical business. They were responsive, knowledgeable, and willing to cooperate. I highly recommend their services.
Dawn HintonFounder, Revitalized HealthIt was a pleasure working with the team. They were efficient, professional, and communicated clearly throughout the entire project. Their attention to detail and quick turnaround made the project a complete success. I would gladly work with them again.
Kudzaishe ChitonBuyisa SolutionTalented, detail-oriented, and easy to work with. They quickly understood my project requirements and delivered high-quality results that exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend their services.
Akin OyebodeSenior IT Coordinator
Want to know what is holding your site back?
Thirty minutes with your site on screen, and a written list of what we would fix first. If search is not the right investment for your business, we will tell you that instead.