International SEO: strategy and case studies

When a client asks us to launch a new website abroad, we often need to adjust expectations. The initial idea, usually due to a lack of online knowledge and of a proper international SEO strategy, tends to be:

“Just translate the website and that’s it”

Although translation is essential, there are many more factors to consider if we want our website to rank properly at an international level: from technical aspects like hosting servers in the target country or using HTML tags to indicate language, to strategic decisions such as analyzing local competition or identifying the actual keywords used by potential customers.

The case of countermatic.com

One of the projects we worked on is Countermatic, an online store specialized in counterfeit bill detectors and money counters. The initial goal was to expand into Ireland, launching a dedicated website and attracting organic traffic from search engines. In other words, applying an international SEO strategy.

Over time, the project has evolved and now runs on a Prestashop multistore, enabling us to manage international SEO from a single platform with several local domains: countermatic.com, countermatic.fr, countermatic.pt, and countermatic.ie. This structure simplifies management and allows for content, linkbuilding, and marketing actions to be tailored to each market.

What do we mean by International SEO?

When we talk about International SEO, we refer to the set of strategies and planned actions aimed at ranking a website outside its home country. Translating content and keywords is not enough: a broader strategy is needed, taking into account cultural, technical, and competitive aspects in each market.

International search engine optimization

The same questions we ask ourselves in any SEO project must be addressed when entering a new market:

• Is there real demand for my product or service?
• Is the competition fierce, or is it still an emerging sector?
• Which is the main search engine in the target country?

Technical aspects

Once the strategic viability is validated, technical factors come into play to ensure proper rankings:

• Choosing between a country-specific domain (ccTLD) or using subdirectories/subdomains depending on the case.
• Locating servers or using a CDN with local nodes to improve performance and Core Web Vitals in each market.
• Implementing correct hreflang tags for language and region, avoiding duplicate content issues.
• Setting up each project in Google Search Console with the right geotargeting.
• Including NAP information (name, address, phone) if the business has a local office in the target country.

Content and keywords

Content must be localized, not just translated. A literal translation can be wrong or sound unnatural. Therefore, a keyword research segmented by country is essential: a search in English in Ireland is not the same as in the United States.

This analysis helps define how to optimize and create content for each market, ensuring it truly matches local searches.

For further details, check Google’s official documentation on multilingual and multinational websites.

Conclusions

International SEO is a complex process that combines technical expertise, strategy, and market knowledge. At La Teva Web we’ve guided brands such as Countermatic in their expansion, helping them structure and optimize multistores to achieve organic traffic and sales across different countries. If you’re planning to expand your digital presence beyond borders, get in touch with us and we’ll help you define the right strategy.

International SEO FAQs

What is the difference between translation and localization?

Translation is literal, while localization adapts the message to the market, taking into account language, culture, and local search intent.

Is it better to use country-specific domains or subdirectories?

It depends on the strategy: a ccTLD domain sends a stronger local signal, but subdirectories consolidate the authority of the main domain.

Why are hreflang tags important?

They tell Google the correct version of the website for each language and region, preventing duplicate content issues and improving user experience.