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SEO & Performance
International SEOHreflang ImplementationLocale-Specific Research

Multilingual SEO Services

Your Site Ranks in English — But Google Filters It in Every Other Market

40+
Languages Supported
Across client projects
3.2×
Avg. Traffic Lift
Within 6 months
0
Hreflang Errors
Post-implementation audit
95+
Lighthouse Score
Per locale version
What Multilingual SEO Actually Fixes — And What Translation Never Will

Google's crawler hits your French page and finds English hreflang tags pointing to a URL that 404s. Your buyer in Madrid searches a phrase native speakers actually use — but your keyword research came from a machine translator, so you ranked for nothing. Multilingual SEO is the technical and linguistic infrastructure that makes your site legible to search engines and humans across borders. It's hreflang validation that catches bidirectional errors before they hemorrhage traffic. It's keyword research with native speakers who know what high-intent queries look like in their market. It's Next.js i18n routing, locale-specific schema, and edge caching rules so your German pages load as fast in Berlin as your English ones do in Boston. Your business doesn't stop at one language — your rankings shouldn't either.

Waar projecten falen

Google indexes the wrong language version for your target regions Users land on pages they can't read, bounce immediately, and your international traffic flatlines.
Hreflang tags are missing, malformed, or contradictory Search engines can't figure out which version is canonical, and that confusion turns into duplicate content penalties across your whole domain.
Keyword research is machine-translated from English You end up chasing terms nobody actually types in that locale, while the high-intent queries native speakers use go completely unnoticed.
Your URL structure doesn't support international targeting Subdirectories, subdomains, and ccTLDs are mixed inconsistently — and that inconsistency confuses crawlers and users equally.
Content is translated but not localized for regional intent Pages rank but don't convert because the messaging, currency, regulations, and cultural references are all slightly off.
Geo-targeting isn't configured in Google Search Console Google guesses which country each page is meant for, and it's wrong more often than you'd think.

Compliance

Hreflang Architecture

We implement self-referencing and bidirectional hreflang annotations across every language variant. For complex multi-locale deployments, XML sitemaps include hreflang entries as a fallback so nothing slips through.

Locale-Specific Keyword Research

Native-speaker keyword research identifies how people actually search in each market — not what a translation tool suggests. We also map intent differences between regions that share the same language, because UK and Australian English users don't always want the same thing.

International URL Strategy

We design your URL structure — whether that's subdirectories, subdomains, or ccTLDs — based on your actual business model and target markets. Each approach gets properly configured geo-targeting in Search Console.

Technical Crawl Optimization

Language-specific XML sitemaps, canonical tags, and internal linking patterns keep crawl budget distributed efficiently across all locale versions. Nothing gets orphaned.

Content Localization Audit

We audit existing translations for SEO gaps: missing metadata, untranslated alt text, hardcoded strings, CTAs that made sense in English but fall flat in the target language. These are conversion killers that often get missed.

Cross-Border Performance Monitoring

Per-locale rank tracking, Search Console segmentation by country, and Core Web Vitals monitoring for each regional CDN edge keep everything measurable as you grow.

Wat we bouwen

Eliminate hreflang conflicts that send the wrong language version to the wrong region

Automated hreflang validation across HTML, headers, and sitemaps catches errors before rankings drop

Replace machine-translated keywords with native research from speakers in each target market

Native keyword research per locale surfaces the high-intent queries machine tools miss entirely

Fix URL structures that confuse crawlers about which locale each page serves

Next.js i18n routing with locale detection and SEO-friendly URLs so structure matches intent

Stop ranking without converting because content isn't localized for regional intent

Regional SERP analysis shows who's winning, what formats work, and where the ranking gaps are

Correct missing geo-targeting configs that let Google guess your audience incorrectly

Localized schema markup per language variant for organization, product, FAQ, and breadcrumbs

Prevent duplicate content penalties caused by contradictory or malformed language signals

CDN edge optimization with locale-specific caching so pages load fast anywhere your buyers search

Ons proces

01

International SEO Audit

We crawl every language version, validate your existing hreflang tags, audit the URL structure, and identify indexation issues in Search Console for each target region. You get a clear picture of where things stand before we touch anything.
Week 1
02

Locale Strategy & Keyword Research

Native speakers conduct keyword research per target market. We map intent differences, identify content gaps, and nail down the URL architecture strategy before implementation starts.
Week 2-3
03

Technical Implementation

Hreflang tags, international sitemaps, canonical tags, Search Console geo-targeting, and i18n routing all get implemented and validated against Google's specs. No guesswork.
Week 4-5
04

Content Localization & On-Page SEO

Metadata, headings, alt text, schema markup, and internal links get optimized per locale. We also flag content that needs cultural adaptation beyond what a translator would normally catch.
Week 6-7
05

Monitoring & Iteration

Per-locale rank tracking, crawl monitoring, and Search Console segmentation go live. Monthly reports show visibility gains per market with clear next steps — not just data dumps.
Week 8+
Next.jsVerceli18n routingGoogle Search ConsoleAhrefsScreaming Froghreflang TagsSanity CMS

Veelgestelde vragen

What is hreflang and why does it matter for multilingual SEO?

Hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and regional version of a page to serve to which audience. Without it, Google might show your French page to German users, or decide your UK and US English pages are duplicates and penalize both. Done right, it prevents cannibalization and makes sure the right content reaches the right people.

Should I use subdirectories, subdomains, or ccTLDs for international SEO?

Subdirectories (example.com/fr/) consolidate domain authority and are the easiest to manage — that's why they're our default recommendation. Subdomains (fr.example.com) give you more server flexibility but split link equity. ccTLDs (example.fr) send the strongest geo-targeting signal but mean separate SEO work for each domain. For most businesses, subdirectories make the most sense unless you've got dedicated regional operations that genuinely justify the extra overhead.

How is multilingual keyword research different from translating English keywords?

Direct translation misses how people actually search. German users compound words in ways that change search behavior entirely. Spanish speakers in Mexico use different terms than those in Spain. Japanese search patterns differ structurally from English ones. We work with native speakers and regional search data to find the terms your actual audience uses — not what a dictionary would suggest.

How long does it take to see results from international SEO?

Technical fixes like hreflang corrections and geo-targeting usually produce indexation improvements within 2–4 weeks. Ranking gains from locale-specific keyword work typically follow within 3–6 months, depending on market competitiveness. Sites with existing domain authority tend to gain traction faster than brand new domains.

Can you optimize an existing translated site or do we need to rebuild?

Most translated sites don't need a full rebuild. We audit your existing hreflang tags, URL structure, metadata, and content localization quality, then fix what's broken. That usually means correcting malformed hreflang annotations, adding missing language variants to sitemaps, and optimizing translated metadata for local search intent. It's rarely as drastic as starting over.

Do you handle the actual translation and content creation?

We handle SEO strategy, technical implementation, and the content optimization framework. For translation itself, we partner with professional localization teams or work alongside your existing translators — whichever you prefer. Either way, we provide keyword-optimized briefs, glossaries, and metadata templates so the output actually ranks, not just reads correctly.

Multilingual SEO from $8,000
Fixed-fee. 30-day post-launch support included.
See all packages →
Next.js DevelopmentCore Web Vitals OptimizationHeadless CMS Development

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