International SEO services that help buyers in every target market find the right page on your site, in their own language.
Each market is planned around how local buyers search, with keywords, site structure, hreflang and content working together, so every country version ranks where it should.
Buyers in Germany don't search for a German version of your English keywords. They use their own product names, compare you with local suppliers and expect specifications in the units they work with.
Structure
So each market needs its own research, its own pages and a site that sends every buyer to the right version. Buyers in Austria and Germany may share a language but not a market, which is why I plan the work country by country, not language by language.
Six pieces of work, planned together for each country you sell to.
International market strategy
I compare search demand, competition and your existing sales in each country, then rank the markets worth entering first, product by product.
Illustrative exampleItalian packaging machinery maker · fictional data
Market opportunity assessment
Market
Search demand
Competition
Existing sales
Priority
Germany
High
High
Distributor
Priority 1
France
Medium
Medium
Trade-fair leads
Priority 1
UK
High
High
None yet
Validate
Poland
Medium
Low
None yet
Test later
Spain
Low
Medium
Agent
Later
UAE
Low
Low
2 enquiries
Later
Germany is crowded, but an existing distributor makes it the first market to build on.
International keyword research
Research happens in each market's own language. It covers product names, technical terms and specifications, and the local competitors your buyers compare you with.
Illustrative exampleItalian packaging machinery maker · fictional data
I set up URL structure, hreflang, sitemaps and redirects so Google shows each country the right page. I also fix the issues that make your language versions compete with each other.
Illustrative exampleItalian packaging machinery maker · fictional data
2 issues on this page. de-AT does not link back to it-IT, so Google may ignore the pair. es-ES is canonicalised to its category, so it is dropped as an alternate.
Localised content
Pages are written for each market, not translated word for word. I write in English, Italian, Chinese and Japanese. For German, French and other languages, native-speaker writers from your team, or writers I bring in, write the pages, and I brief and review every one for SEO.
Illustrative exampleItalian packaging machinery maker · fictional data
Page brief · Germany
Market
Germany (de-DE)
URL
/de/maschinen/schlauchbeutelmaschinen/
Page type
Category page
Search intent
Compare suppliers
Generic translation
Title
Flow-Pack-Verpackungsmaschinen
Main term
Flow-Pack-Maschine
Key spec
Geschwindigkeit: 120 Stück/min
Localised German page
Title
Schlauchbeutelmaschinen für Lebensmittel
Main term
Schlauchbeutelmaschine
Key spec
Leistung: bis 120 Takte/min
Units
mm, kg, Takte/min
Buyers check
CE marking, format change time, service in DACH
Written by
Native German writer
SEO brief and review
Search Orchard
International authority building
Links from your home market carry little weight in a new one. I earn links and mentions in each target country from trade associations, industry directories, distributors and trade-fair listings.
Illustrative exampleItalian packaging machinery maker · fictional data
Market authority and referral opportunities
Market
Source
Type
Relevance
Status
DE
VDMA member directory
Association
High
To apply
DE
interpack exhibitor profile
Trade fair
High
Listed
DE
Distributor product pages
Distributor
High
Link requested
FR
All4Pack exhibitor page
Trade fair
High
Planned
FR
Food-industry trade magazine
Trade media
Medium
Pitch sent
UK
PPMA member directory
Association
High
To apply
Chosen for relevance to packaging buyers in each country, not for domain scores.
Enquiry tracking by market
I set up tracking so every enquiry is recorded by country and language, next to rankings and traffic.
Illustrative exampleItalian packaging machinery maker · fictional data
Organic enquiries by market · Q3
Market
Organic sessions
Enquiries
Qualified
Conv. rate
UK
4,820
31
6
0.6%
Germany
2,140
24
15
1.1%
France
1,310
12
7
0.9%
Austria
520
6
4
1.2%
UK
Germany
France
Austria
Organic sessionsQualified enquiries
UK brings the most traffic; Germany brings the most qualified enquiries. Next quarter, more of the content budget goes to Germany and Austria.
Where each language version lives on your domain affects how you run the site and how clearly each market is signposted, and changing it later means redirecting every URL. There is no single right answer, so I choose it with you, based on your markets, your platform and the domains you already own.
Illustrative exampleOne fictional Italian packaging machinery maker, organised three ways
Site architectureCountry shown inHostingExisting linksIn practice
Subfolders
Example address: example.com/de/example.com/de/
Country shown in
The path: /de/
Hosting
One site, one set-up
Existing links
Same domain as your current site
example.com/One domain, one site
it/Italy, home market9 sections
de/Germany
produkte/Products
abfuellmaschinen/Filling machines11
verpackungsmaschinen/Packaging machines
fp400/Flow wrapper FP400
fp600/Flow wrapper FP600
…12 more machines
etikettiersysteme/Labelling systems7
kartoniermaschinen/Cartoning machines5
branchen/Industries6
service/Service and parts4
angebot-anfordern/Request a quote
fr/France9 sections
en-gb/UK
products/4 categories
industries/6
request-a-quote/
en-us/United States9 sections
es/ pl/ zh-cn/ ja/Four more marketssame pattern
The simplest set-up for most exporters. Every language version sits on your main domain, alongside the content and links your site already has, and your team manages one site. The country only shows in the path, so hreflang and local content do the targeting work.
Subdomains
Example address: de.example.comde.example.com
Country shown in
The prefix: de.
Hosting
Can run on its own platform
Existing links
Same domain name, separate host name
example.comGroup site
about/ news/ careers/Shared pages
de.example.comOwn CMS
produkte/Products
verpackungsmaschinen/Packaging machines
fp400/Flow wrapper FP400
abfuellmaschinen/Filling machines11
…2 more categories
haendler/Dealer finder
angebot/Request a quote
fr.example.comShared CMS
produits/Products4 categories
devis/Request a quote
uk.example.comShared CMS
products/Products4 categories
quote/Request a quote
us.example.comOwn platform
products/Products3 categories
dealers/Dealer network
parts-shop/Spare parts shop
Useful when a market runs on its own platform, or a local team manages it separately. It is one more site to set up, monitor and keep consistent with the rest, so I check how it will be built and linked before recommending it.
Country domains (ccTLDs)
Example address: example.deexample.de
Country shown in
The domain itself: .de
Hosting
A separate domain for each country
Existing links
A new domain that needs links of its own
example.itOriginal domain
prodotti/Products
riempitrici/Filling machines11
linee-di-confezionamento/Packaging lines8
…2 more categories
settori/Industries6
contatti/Contact
example.deOwn domain
produkte/Products
verpackungsmaschinen/Packaging machines
fp400/Flow wrapper FP400
etikettiersysteme/Labelling systems7
branchen/Industries6
kontakt/Contact
example.frOwn domain9 sections
example.esOwn domain9 sections
example.co.ukOwn domain9 sections
A .de or .fr address tells buyers and search engines straight away which country the site is for, and some buyers trust a local domain more. Each one is a separate domain to register, host and maintain. It makes most sense for large markets, or where you already own and use the domain.
If none of these clearly fits, I usually start with subfolders, because they are the simplest to run and keep every market on the domain you already have.
How I approach the work
Each project follows five steps. How far each one goes depends on how many markets you sell to and what is already in place.
Kick-off01
Step 1: Market and goals review
It starts with a call: where you sell now, which countries come next, and how enquiries reach your sales team today.
Audit02
Step 2: International SEO audit
Every language version of your site is audited, the same audit you can request below, so the plan starts from how your site performs today.
Research03
Step 3: Market and keyword research
Research covers only the markets and products agreed in step 01, so the effort goes where you plan to sell.
Planning04
Step 4: Prioritised action plan
Findings become one list, ranked by impact and effort. Your team sees what to fix first, what can wait, and which markets get new pages.
Delivery05
Step 5: Implementation and reporting
Work goes live in the order the plan sets out. From launch, a monthly report shows rankings, traffic and enquiries for each country.
What you receive
An audit of each language version of your siteStep 02
Keyword research for each target market, in its own languageStep 03
A market priority plan: which countries and products come firstStep 04
A site structure and hreflang planStep 04
A page plan for each marketStep 04
Monthly reports on rankings, traffic and enquiries by countryStep 05
More visibility in the right markets.More qualified buyers.More opportunities to grow your revenue.
International SEO consultancy
Every team starts from a different place. Some have developers and writers for each market; others have one website and a sales team. I fit the work around what you already have.
01
Advice for your in-house team
For companies with their own marketers or developers. I review plans, answer questions as they come up and check work before it goes live. Your team makes the changes.
02
Working alongside your team
I take on the international SEO work, such as research, page briefs, hreflang and reporting. Your developers, writers and translation partners keep the parts they already own. We agree who does what at the start.
03
Managing the whole project
I plan the project, run it and coordinate everyone involved. Technical changes go through your developers or your platform. Where the work needs native-speaker writers or other specialists, I bring them in and tell you who they are before they start.
The work changes with how your customers buy. These are the businesses this service is built for.
Manufacturers and industrial companies
IndustrialManufacturers
Machinery, component and equipment makers. Their buyers search by part name, standard and specification, and many reach you through distributors and trade fairs.
E-commerce brands selling abroad
E-commerceBrands
Online shops selling into several countries. Shoppers compare local prices, delivery times and returns, and many start on marketplaces before they find your site.
Hotels and tourism businesses
Hospitality&Tourism
Hotels, tour operators and destinations. Travellers plan weeks or months ahead and compare you on booking sites before they visit yours.
Companies entering Italy or Europe
InternationalBusinesses
International businesses with an Italian market to win, and English-speaking companies expanding into Europe. I'm based in Turin and work in English and Italian.
International SEO FAQs
Our distributors rank above us for our own products. Can you fix that?
Often, yes. Distributors usually rank because they publish your product information first, sometimes word for word, on sites Google already trusts in that country. I give your own pages what distributors don't have, such as full specifications, applications and a direct way to contact you, and help you agree how distributors reuse your product text. Where a distributor is your main route to market, ranking alongside them can be the better goal.
Can we translate our pages with DeepL or AI?
Yes, as a first draft. Google doesn't penalise translation itself, but pages produced at scale with no review can be treated as low-quality content. The bigger problem is usually terminology: a machine picks the dictionary word, not the term your buyers search for. I do the keyword research first, then a native speaker edits the draft.
Our product information is in PDF catalogues. Is that a problem?
It limits what you can rank for. Google can index PDFs, but a catalogue rarely ranks for a specific product search, is hard to target at one country, and gives buyers no easy way to send an enquiry. I turn your most important products into web pages in each language and keep the PDFs as downloads.
Will adding new languages hurt our rankings at home?
Not if it's set up properly. Problems start when new versions compete with your existing pages, for example near-identical UK and US English pages, or when hreflang is missing or wrong. I check this before anything goes live and watch your home market rankings during the rollout.
How long before a new market starts sending enquiries?
Technical fixes can show results within weeks. New pages in a new market usually take several months to rank, depending on competition and how much authority your site already has. Nobody can guarantee rankings, so we agree milestones for each market, and I report on them every month.
Which market should we start with?
Usually one where you already have something to build on: a distributor, contacts from a trade fair, or enquiries that arrive without any marketing. I then compare search demand and competition across your candidate markets and recommend one or two to start with, rather than launching everywhere at once.
How much does international SEO cost?
International SEO starts at €1,490 a month, excluding VAT. The fee is higher for more markets or languages, a larger website, or when I write the new pages as well as plan them. You'll receive a proposal with the scope and fee before we begin. The first three months are agreed upfront; after that, it runs month to month and you can stop with 30 days' notice. If you've had an SEO audit from me in the last 30 days, I'll deduct the full cost from your monthly fees. You can see all my prices on the Pricing page.
Contact
Tell me what's holding your website back.
You'll hear directly from me. No sales team, no scripted discovery calls and no automated follow-up emails.
1
I take a first look
I read your message and take a first look at your website and its search visibility before replying.
2
You get an honest answer
Within two working days, I'll share my initial thoughts and tell you whether I'm the right fit.
3
We talk it through
If it's a fit, we'll arrange a call to discuss your project. If not, I'll tell you and suggest a better direction where I can.
