7 Multilingual SEO Strategies For Success

An independent survey of over 8700 users from 29 countries found that 76% prefer purchasing products with information in their own language.

Multilingual SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial for global businesses, allowing them to serve optimized content to diverse users.

What you will learn

• The difference between simple translated content and multilingual SEO.
• Ways that it helps your band to connect with international audiences.
• How multilingual SEO builds trust in local markets.
• The role it plays in brand relevance and customer loyalty.

In this article, I’ll cover the basics of multilingual SEO and explore 7 ways to improve your multilingual SEO strategies.

What is multilingual SEO?

Put simply, multilingual SEO means optimizing your SEO content in different languages. This helps users of different cultures and language groups to discover your brand.

Multilingual SEO ensures that a Japanese speaker, looking to buy Spanish products, can:

• find your content;
• understand it;
• engage with it.

Multilingual SEO also helps search engines index your content so that it ranks highly in different linguistic regions. 

Imagine designing a set of exercise clothes for audiences from different countries. Depending on the region, you’d adapt the outfit to be warmer, with a different cut or a specific color.

Multilingual SEO is all about keeping your message the same while tailoring the wording to fit the language and culture.

It’s important to note this isn’t just a simple translation! Multilingual SEO is all about localization:

• Mirroring the way the target audience speaks and acts.
• Adapting phrases, humor, and metaphors to reflect the region.
• Including points of cultural relevance.
• Using the appropriate currency, units of measurement, date formats, etc.

In the end, multilingual SEO is about more than reaching a global audience – it’s about making each user feel like your website's content was made just for them.

Multilingual websites vs. multiregional websites

It’s pretty easy to confuse multilingual SEO with multiregional SEO. 

I mean, they sound the same, right? Understanding the difference ensures that you’re serving the right kind of content to the right people.

A multilingual approach to SEO is all about localizing your content for users of a specific language or cultural base. This is often regardless of geographical location.

A multiregional approach to SEO targets a user based on their geographical location. This often doesn’t include localization or language variations.

In short:

• Multilingual websites: Focused on language (e.g., English, Spanish, Mandarin).
• Multiregional websites: Focused on geography (e.g., U.S., Spain, China), often without localization.

Who should use both multilingual and multiregional SEO?

Depending on the regions your business targets, the best approach may be to use both multilingual and multiregional SEO. If you’re targeting a country with distinct language groups, a combination will reach all audiences in a culturally relevant way.

E.g., a user in Québec may speak conversational English but have a French mother tongue. Multiregional SEO would offer French content due to their region in Canada.

Multilingual SEO can enhance this by offering localized content in Québécois French, a dialect they know and comprehend better. 

This nuance can boost relevance, trust, and user engagement in your brand.

When executed well, multilingual and multiregional SEO aren’t competitors, but two sides of the same coin. Used in tandem, brands can create a more precise and inclusive experience for all users.

E.g., furniture retail giant IKEA is a champion of localization.

In India, the company saw a 25% annual revenue growth in 2022 thanks to localized campaigns. They even swapped the pork meatballs for chicken and vegetarian options.

Why is multilingual SEO important?

Multilingual SEO is so much more than a technical upgrade; it’s an entire SEO strategy in its own right. You can picture multilingual SEO as a bright gateway to the global stage. It's your key to international visibility, growth, and widespread recognition.

Think about the industry titans that have become household names in every locality around the globe. 

For instance, did you know Adidas originated in Germany? Neither does anyone else! 

Their multilingual strategies have earned trust and relevance in various cultural groups worldwide.

Brands like this exemplify the importance of multilingual SEO. They empower their international visibility through local relevance, trust, relatability, and familiarity.

Their marketing aligns with local search behaviors, linguistic nuances, and user expectations.

Key benefits of effective multilingual SEO:

• Expanded market reach: Audiences that have never interacted with your brand now have easy access.
• Improved trust: Native-language content feels more authentic and familiar to international users.
• Boosted conversion rates: When content speaks their language, consumers will engage with a brand.
• Powerful local SEO: By aligning with user intent and search behavior, content will rank higher in local Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
• Inclusive brand perception: Brands that localize their content show they care about inclusivity.
• Better search engine indexing: By optimizing multilingual pages, search engines understand your intent.

E.g., vacation rental platform Airbnb offers a tailored experience in its Newsroom to each country’s users

Users of Airbnb Italy will see:

While Airbnb users in Germany see:

7 best practices for multilingual SEO success

Getting the most out of an international SEO strategy requires some essential practices. These ensure your site is indexed properly, culturally appropriate, and user-friendly.

These seven multilingual SEO best practices create a roadmap to global success.

1. Identify important markets for your business

Before diving head-first into your multilingual SEO strategy, you should answer:

• where do my ideal users come from?
• And, how do they browse?

Expanding to new markets is risky if the countries you’re targeting aren’t even interested in your products or services.

On the international market hunt, Google has two tools that will become your best friends. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Search Console (GSC) offer invaluable insights into:

• search queries;
• user languages and origin;
• unique geographic behavior;
• top performing pages.

In GA4, use the “Country” and “Language” dimensions to segment your audience by region and native languages.

How do each of these users interact with your website?

Maybe some language groups interact with your entire site, while others are quick to bounce. Some may avoid completing forms, or aren’t engaging with core pages.

What does this data say about your performance gaps?

• High traffic + high conversions: This shows you what is working and what you should replicate in other languages.
• High traffic + low conversions: This audience shows interest, but you’re lacking proper localization to engage with them.
• High bounce rate: This can suggest a language barrier or a lack of cultural relevance.

E.g., if your product page is getting organic traffic from Morocco but has a high bounce rate, you may be lacking appropriate multilingual content. Consider offering localization for French, Arabic, or Berber.

Google Search Console vs. Google Analytics 4

At a glance, each tool offers country and language-based data for multilingual SEO research. However, these tools differ in specific ways:

GSC insights:

• Search volume, queries, ranking positions, and impressions.
• URL inspection and submission for reindexing.
• Indexing issues, crawl errors, and sitemap status.
• Mobile usability issues.
• Target audience monitoring.

GA4 insights:

• On-site user behavior like clicks, conversions, bounce rate, and session duration.
• Segmentation by language, region, and device types.
• User tracking and customer journey goals.
• Integration with data platforms for advanced data modeling.

Used together, these tools are powerful, offering key insights into the entire customer journey. While GSC excels at search engine user behavior, GA4 explores users’ on-site behavior.

Create your ultimate market research arsenal with Surfer’s SERP Analyzer.

• Discover your competitors' most popular keywords.
• Identify rising trends.
• Analyze the backlinks of top-ranking pages.
• Monitor your and your competitors’ rankings.

2. Use the right URL structure for your multilingual website

Choosing the right URL structure is essential for the user experience and effective multilingual website SEO.

There are three primary options for segmenting multiple languages:

• country-code top-level domains,
• subdomains,
• and subdirectories.

Let’s take a moment to explore each to determine the correct fit for your strategy.

Country-Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)

You’ve likely seen plenty of these – a country-specific domain suffix, such as .de for Germany, .ng for Nigeria, or .kr for South Korea. Unlike the other options, ccTLDs act as separate domains.

Pros:

• Sends strong, clear geo-targeting signals to search engines.
• Builds higher trust among local users.
• URL aligns with region-specific branding.

Cons:

• Expensive to host and effectively manage multiple domains.
• Requires separate SEO efforts and link-building.

Best for:

• Large enterprises with strong market presence in each country.
• Businesses focused on regional branding.
• Companies with robust region-specific teams and budgets.

E.g., e-commerce titan Amazon uses ccTLDs for users from different countries, such as amazon.de and amazon.co.uk.

Subdomains

A subdomain is a separate section of your site, identified by a URL prefix, such as es.example.com for a Spanish-language section.

Think of a subdomain as a different house on the same street – sharing an address pattern but operated independently.

Pros:

• Clear separation of language-specific content.
• Ideal for region-specific content teams with lower budgets.
• Great for site organization.

Cons:

• No shared SEO with other sections of the site.
• More complex for analytics and maintenance.

Best for:

• Decentralized content teams.
• Brands targeting diverse regions.

Subdirectories

A subdirectory is essentially a subfolder located within your domain, such as example.com/fr/ for French-language content.

If subdomains are a house on the same street, subdirectories are rooms inside a single house – separate but part of the same overall structure.

Pros:

• Easier to manage from a single CMS.
• Simpler analytics in GA4.

Cons:

• Less flexible for team separation and content structure.
• One site outage affects all languages.
• Cluttered website organization.

Best for:

• Small to medium-sized businesses with centralized content teams.
• Those looking for simpler management and analytics.
• Lower budget required.

Subdirectories are often recommended for multilingual sites as they consolidate SEO, domain authority, and backlinks.

E.g., tech giant Apple uses subdirectories, such as apple.com/uk (U.K.) and apple.com/de (Germany). Targeting over 120 countries, subdirectories help them merge their SEO and simplify management.

3. Create localized region-specific content

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of localization. Going far beyond simple translation, localization is about making your content feel native.

Writers should adapt to regional language nuances, cultural references, and local humor. Additionally, conducting keyword research in each target language is crucial for effective multilingual SEO.

For example, what Americans call a “gas station”, Brits call a “petrol station”, and Aussies call a “servo”. These small but distinct differences affect user relatability, trust, and local SERP rankings.

Search engines are looking out for language variants, so the more culturally aligned your content is, the higher it will rank.

For instance, Surfer can help you create local content in 14 languages, adjusting for local nuances and phrases.

Top tips for true localization:

• Rewrite your content, don’t just translate it – NEVER throw it into an auto-translator like Google Translate.
• Tailor phrases, idioms, examples, and tone for a cultural fit.
• Update all region-specific elements like:
  • currencies;
  • units of measurement;
  • date formats and calendars;
  • payment methods;
  • contact information.
• Adapt your CTAs with local marketing and communication styles.
• Pay attention to regional holidays, trends, and newsworthy events to create cultural relevance.

E.g., streaming platform Netflix performs expert localization, offering titles and summaries for content in regional dialects.

Simulate local searches.

Do you want to see organic search results through the eyes of a local? Well, Google needs to think you are one – use a VPN to see region-specific results as they’d naturally appear:

1. Download a VPN from a trusted provider.
2. Select your target audience's country (e.g., U.S., Japan, Brazil, etc.) and connect.
3. Open an incognito browser window to avoid being recognized by your cache.
4. Search your target keywords/keyphrases in the local language.
5. Take a look at the featured snippets, autocomplete suggestions, the “People Also Ask” section, and your competition.
6. Analyze the top-ranking results and take note of:
   • Content patterns;
   • Commonly used keywords and phrases;
   • Language nuances;
   • User intent;
   • Popular topics that differ from the primary market. 

E.g., let’s say you’re targeting users in Australia for a sportswear store. A quick search for “best hiking boots” with a VPN will reveal that locals will likely refer to them as “bushwalking boots”.

You’ll also notice top-ranking pages using Australia-specific shoe sizing and referencing local hiking trails.

• Check featured snippets, local competitors, and search intent that Google associates with your target queries.
• Look at Google’s autocomplete suggestions and "People also ask" sections to discover relevant, local keyword variations.
• Identify topics popular within the specific region or language that might differ significantly from your primary market.

Or head to Surfer to understand which keywords you should include in the local language. For example, here's a list of suggested terms for a page on "best walking shoes" for the South Korean market.

4. Use the “hreflang” attribute correctly

In HTML, the hreflang attribute tells search engines which language version of a webpage to serve to a user. It helps to avoid duplicate content issues and ensures the appropriate content is served to the individual user.

Appropriate hreflang tag usage:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://example.com/fr/" />

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/en/" />

This signals to the search engine that both language versions exist, serving the French version to French-speaking users, and the English version to English speakers.

Best practices for hreflang tags:

• Link all different language versions to each other (reciprocal hreflang tags).
• Include a self-referencing hreflang tag on each page.
• Use the correct language codes and country codes.
• Validate your hreflang implementation via GSC or a testing tool.

Common mistakes when implementing hreflang tags:

• Missing reciprocal links – each page must link to every other.
• Wrong country or region codes (e.g., use de-CH for German speakers in Switzerland, rather than just de).
• Not updating hreflang tags when pages are moved, created, or deleted.

Without correctly implemented hreflang attributes, search engines are unlikely to present users with region-specific content in the first place.

E.g., travel site Booking manages countless hreflang configurations for their travel listings.

In Great Britain.

In the US.

In Germany.

This ensures that a user in Mexico receives hotel listings in Spanish. Behind the scenes, this also improves local search visibility and trust.

5. Perform essential technical SEO for multilingual websites

All websites require a strong SEO foundation – even more so for multilingual websites. Let’s take a look at the aspects of technical SEO that are especially crucial for a multilingual strategy.

Start by covering the basics:

• Build a multilingual XML sitemap that includes all language variants of each page. Be sure to include corresponding hreflang annotations.
• Use the lang attribute on each page to define the content language for browsers and screen readers.

Unlike hreflang attributes, which communicate language and region to search engines, the lang attribute communicates language to browsers. The lang attribute is also typically included in the opening <html> tag.

Appropriate usage of the lang attribute for a Spanish page:

<html lang="es">

Paired with an appropriate hreflang attribute, this ensures that both browsers and search engines serve Spanish content to Spanish-speaking users.

Next, improve the load times for global users:

• Compress assets:
  • Use image compression tools.
  • Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.
  • Enable data compression on your server.
• Minimize redirects:
  • Avoid redirect chains (e.g., .com > .com/de > .com/de/page).
  • Redirect only if necessary (e.g., outdated URLs).
  • Ensure to use only 301 (permanent redirect) for SEO.
• Enable caching:
  • Set cache rules for static files (images, CSS, fonts, etc.).
  • Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to serve international users from servers closer to them.

Finally, perform regular SEO audits:

• Use Google PageSpeed Insights to regularly check site speeds.
• Identify crawl issues with Screaming Frog.
• Track keyword ranking by country with Ahrefs.

6. Mitigate duplicate content issues

Duplicate content issues are one of the most common downfalls of international SEO efforts. Search engines often mistake multilingual pages as duplicate content if they’re not properly tagged.

Avoid this entirely by implementing accurate technical signals for each language version.

Checklist to mitigate duplicate content issues:

• Use hreflang tags to clearly identify the correct language and regional version of each page. Don’t forget reciprocal and self-referencing tags too!
• Create unique meta descriptions and titles for each language variant.
• Add a noindex tag to language switcher pages as they offer no unique value and only confuse search engine crawlers.
• Choose a unique URL structure for each language you offer (ccTLDs, subdomains, and subdirectories).
• Assign canonical tags to consolidate duplicate content in the same language.

Appropriate usage of a canonical tag:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/en/" />

This simply states to search engines that the English version is the source page when duplicates exist (e.g., en-US vs. en-GB). However, if you localize (including spelling, currency, phrases, etc.), each page is unique and should not be canonicalized.

Remember that all pages require hreflang tags to distinguish language and regional variants. Only true duplicates require canonicalization. 

Without clear signals, search engines will interpret your pages as duplicates, causing indexing errors and SEO penalties. Avoiding duplicate content issues isn’t only essential for rankings, but for a seamless user experience.

7. Create intuitive language selection and user navigation

Even the best multilingual SEO strategy falters if users find it difficult to navigate between languages. If the language-switching experience isn’t smooth, you’re likely to see large drops in user engagement and a huge bounce rate.

The best practices for intuitive language selection:

• Place language selectors where users are most likely to look, such as drop-down menus in the top-right corner.
• Use language names like “Español” or “Deutsch” – it’s often best to avoid flags are they can be politically sensitive or unclear.
• Even when you’re using auto-detect for a user’s language and region, provide manual language-switching options.
• Offer confirmation before automatically redirecting users to other languages. E.g., an Arabic speaker in the U.K. might prefer browsing in English.

Your language selectors shouldn’t only be intuitive but also consistent across all pages and device types. If you’re offering various dialects of the same language, clearly label each option (e.g., “English (US)” and “English (Canada)”).

Multilingual SEO is all about eradicating the language and culture barrier between your brand and the consumer. However, users should still feel like they have easy control over the experience. This builds trust, empowers loyalty, and adds to a more engaging user experience.

E.g., pet food company Edgard & Cooper offers an exemplary language switcher. Simply click the globe icon in the top-right corner to receive an easy-to-use pop-up.

Key takeaways

On the surface, multilingual SEO looks like simple website translation, but it’s so much more. It’s about reaching new users where they are, in their language, and in the context they live in. It uses cultural insight, technical know-how, and user-oriented thinking to drive global growth.

Multilingual SEO is all about:

• Understanding your audience by language, region, and culture.
• Creating a scalable website structure for clarity and ease of use.
• Localizing content to offer the most comfortable user experience.
• Enhancing global visibility through future-proofed SEO.
• Sending clear signals to search engines to maximize search rankings.

When performed correctly, multilingual SEO is truly the bridge to global visibility, deeper customer loyalty, and long-term international success.