International SEO
International SEO deals with optimizing websites for different markets and languages. It is essential for brands that want to attract visitors from multiple countries and be correctly indexed in Google for each language.
Multilingual vs. Multi-domain vs. Subdomain
There are several strategies for managing international content:
- Multilingual on the same domain: www.SneakerStore.com/en/ or www.SneakerStore.com/fr/ Advantages: authority concentrated on a single domain; Disadvantages: complexity in managing multiple languages
- Multi-domain: www.SneakerStore.com, www.sneakerstore.fr, www.sneakerstore.co.uk Advantages: clear country targeting; Disadvantages: authority is fragmented, requires separate SEO for each domain
- Subdomain: en.SneakerStore.com, fr.SneakerStore.com Advantages: easier to manage than separate domains; Disadvantages: authority may be considered partially separate
Hreflang Tag and Geo-targeting
The hreflang tag tells search engines which language or regional version to display to users.
Geo-targeting can also be set in Google Search Console.
- Example of hreflang in
<head>:<link rel="alternate" href="https://www.SneakerStore.com/" hreflang="ro" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.SneakerStore.com/en/" hreflang="en" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.sneakerstore.fr/" hreflang="fr" /> - Geo-targeting: the target country can be set for domains or subdomains in Search Console
Common Issues and Solutions
Implementing international SEO can generate common issues. Here are some examples and solutions:
- Issue: duplicate content between language versions Solution: proper use of hreflang and canonical tags
- Issue: wrong version displayed in SERP for certain countries Solution: check hreflang, geo-targeting in Search Console, correct sitemap
- Issue: international versions not indexed Solution: separate sitemap for each language and ensure pages are not blocked by robots.txt
Practical exercise: Plan the international structure for SneakerStore.com in Romania, UK, and France. Choose the strategy (multilingual, multi-domain, or subdomain), write the hreflang tags, and note which sitemap would be required.