- Validated hreflang
- Native content
- Country-level tracking
International SEO · Languages, markets and hreflang
International SEO agency: the right version for every market
Our international SEO agency makes each version of your website reach the right audience, in its own language and country. From Mallorca, we design architecture, hreflang and localised content for businesses selling to the UK, Germany, the Nordics, the Netherlands and beyond.
Personal reply, No obligation, English, Español
What it is
What international SEO involves
International SEO makes every language and country version of your site crawlable, indexed separately and shown to the right audience. It covers URL architecture, hreflang, keyword research per market, localised content and measurement by country and language.
It's a familiar pattern in Mallorca: hotels, restaurants, clinics, shops and service firms with international customers that rank only in Spanish. Spanish businesses selling abroad face the same gap.
As an international SEO agency working natively in English and Spanish, we run this service alongside technical SEO, content marketing and local SEO, so each market gets a complete site rather than a compromise translation.
In depth
Subfolders, subdomains or country domains
For most businesses, the most effective international architecture is subfolders on a single domain: they pool authority, run from one CMS and let you grow in phases. Country domains (ccTLDs) send the clearest geographic signal but multiply the effort; subdomains rarely pay off.
For a Spain-based business we usually recommend Spanish at the root, English under /en/ and, when justified, German under /de/ or other languages. Language and country are combined (/en-gb/) only when prices, shipping or terms genuinely differ.
We avoid automatic redirects by IP or browser language, which hide versions from users and crawlers; a visible language switcher works better.
In depth
hreflang: the tag that matches language and user
hreflang is an annotation telling Google which versions of a page exist in other languages or countries, so each user sees the right one. It only works when reciprocal: every version references itself and all its alternates, ideally with an x-default for users who match none.
It can live in the HTML, HTTP headers or the XML sitemap; on large sites the sitemap is easier to maintain. We re-audit hreflang after each URL change, as one template error repeats site-wide. Common mistakes:
- Missing return links or self-references on some versions.
- Wrong codes, such as en-UK instead of en-GB.
- hreflang pointing to redirected, noindexed or non-canonical URLs.
- A canonical sending the English version to the Spanish one, cancelling hreflang.
In depth
Keywords by market: localise, don't translate
Word-for-word keyword translation rarely matches what another market searches for. Each language has its own vocabulary, intent and competitors, so we research every market with that country's data, and adapt titles, examples and calls to action with native copywriting.
Nuance matters: British and American English differ (holiday and vacation, takeaway and takeout), and whether visitors type Mallorca or Majorca is checked in the data, not assumed. SEO for multilingual websites starts with research, not translation.
AI speeds up drafts and research, but mass-publishing unreviewed machine translations risks breaching Google's scaled content abuse policy.
In depth
Multilingual SEO in the age of AI
AI answers work by language too. AI Overviews launched in Spain on 25 March 2025 in Spanish and English, so an English-language search made in Spain can return an answer citing English pages. If your English version is weak, it will likely cite someone else.
Google's AI Mode reached Spain, in Spanish, in October 2025 as part of an expansion to more than 35 new languages, and assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity usually reply in the user's language. Each version needs its own clear, crawlable, citable content; GEO builds that visibility engine by engine.
In depth
Local signals and measurement by market
Growing in several markets means measuring each separately. Search Console filters impressions and clicks by country and language folder, and GA4 splits sessions and conversions by country and language, showing whether each version reaches the right audience and converts.
If you have premises, customers in every language see your Google Business Profile: its name, categories, hours and contact details must match each site version, and reviews deserve replies in their own language. It all feeds your analytics and tracking.
What's included
What our international SEO includes
Our international SEO services cover eight workstreams, scaled to your languages and markets.
Market analysis
Demand, competitors and intent per country, to decide where and when to enter.
International architecture
URL structure, language switcher and cross-version linking, ready for new markets.
hreflang implementation
Reciprocal annotations with x-default, validated before and after launch.
Native keyword research
One map per language, built from each market's data, not translated.
Content localisation
Key pages adapted by native writers: titles, examples, currency and calls to action.
International ecommerce SEO
Categories, product pages and data consistent across languages and countries.
Local signals
Business Profile, company details and profiles aligned with each version.
Market-level reporting
Visibility, traffic, conversions and hreflang errors by country and language.
How we work
How we approach multilingual SEO
In phases: the market with most potential first, then we scale, as set out in our method.
Phase 01 / 06
Markets and goals
Which countries matter, what you sell there and who maintains the content.
Phase 02 / 06
International audit
Architecture, hreflang, canonicals, existing translations and visibility by country.
Phase 03 / 06
Research by language
Keywords, intent and competitors in each market.
Phase 04 / 06
Architecture and hreflang
URL, switcher and sitemap specifications, applied by your team or ours.
Phase 05 / 06
Localisation and launch
Priority pages localised, internal links per language, local signals aligned.
Phase 06 / 06
Measure and expand
Reporting by market and a decision on the next language or country.
The SERMAN approach
Why choose SERMAN for international SEO
Genuinely bilingual
A multilingual SEO agency in Spain with native English and Spanish, each researched separately.
Technical and content together
hreflang, architecture and copy are designed together: no well-tagged but poorly written versions.
Built for Google and AI
Every version is prepared for classic results and for AI answers in its language.
What it is not
What international SEO is not
- Not an automatic translation plugin switched on and forgotten.
- Not doorway sites per country with the same content renamed.
- Not keyword translation: each market is researched on its own.
- Not a ranking guarantee in any country or AI answer.
- Not every language at once: one market done well beats several half-done.
What we measure
How we measure each market
Visibility by country
Impressions and positions for each version in its market.
Right version, right market
Whether each country sees the right language URL or another slips in.
Organic traffic by language
Search sessions to each language folder.
Conversions by market
Enquiries, bookings or sales per country, with consent limits explained.
hreflang health
Reciprocity, code and canonical errors in each crawl.
AI presence by language
Google AI feature impressions and assistant answer checks per language.
Tools & platforms
Tools we work with
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics 4
- Looker Studio
- Semrush
- Ahrefs
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider
- Google Keyword Planner
- Google Trends
- Google Business Profile
- Bing Webmaster Tools
Who it's for
A particularly good fit if…
- You run a hotel, restaurant, clinic or school with international customers.
- Your online shop sells, or wants to sell, elsewhere in Europe.
- Your English pages get visits but few enquiries or sales.
- You translated your site with a plugin and it doesn't rank in other languages.
- You're opening a new market, such as the UK, Germany or the Nordics.
Compliance
Rules and policies we follow
Applied by default in every market; not a substitute for legal advice.
Scaled content
Google's spam policies treat scaled low-value pages as abuse, whether or not AI made them. No unreviewed translations or cloned country pages.
Consent across markets
Google's EU User Consent Policy requires valid consent from users in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland. We set up Consent Mode v2 and an AEPD-compliant banner.
AI with human review
Native speakers review everything we publish. Since 2 August 2026, Article 50 of the EU AI Act has required labels on deepfakes and on AI-generated public-interest text without human editorial control.
Industries
Where we apply it
Food, Wine & Gourmet Brands
Provenance-led branding, international SEO, DTC shops, marketplaces and AI visibility for wineries, olive oil producers and food and drink brands.
Education & Training
Education marketing for private universities, business schools, international schools and academies: student recruitment in Spain and abroad.
Marine & Superyacht Services
B2B marketing for refit yards, marine technology, crew and supply companies: found and shortlisted by captains, yacht managers and AI assistants.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is international SEO?
International SEO gets each language or country version of your site indexed and shown to the right audience. An international SEO agency combines URL architecture, hreflang, market-specific keyword research, localised content and country-level measurement.
Subfolders, subdomains or country domains: which is best?
For most businesses, subfolders (/en/, /de/) on one domain: they pool authority and are easier to maintain. Country domains send the strongest geographic signal but need their own authority. Subdomains only suit technical or organisational needs.
What is hreflang and what does it do?
An annotation telling Google which versions of a page exist in other languages or countries, so each user sees the right one. It must be reciprocal, include a self-reference and always point to canonical, indexable URLs; an x-default is recommended.
Can I translate my website with AI without hurting SEO?
Yes, if translation is the starting point, not the result. Native-reviewed copy with keywords researched in that market works. Mass-publishing unreviewed translations risks the scaled content abuse Google's policies target.
Which languages should a Mallorca business website use?
Spanish and English at minimum if you serve international customers. Then let data decide: where customers come from, what each market searches for and whether you can serve them in that language. German, Dutch, a Nordic language or Catalan may come next.
How can I rank in the UK or Germany from Spain?
With a dedicated version per market, correct hreflang, content written for that audience, mentions on that country's sites and adapted terms. For results while organic grows, we coordinate with Google Ads.
Do I need separate pages for British and American English?
Only if the content genuinely differs: currency, shipping, terms or regulation. Otherwise one English version is enough. If you split, each needs its own hreflang (en-GB, en-US) and real differences, or Google may treat them as duplicates and show only one.
Related services
Pairs well with
SEO
Organic visibility on Google and in AI answers: a solid technical base, bilingual content and genuine authority, run as one measurable programme.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO audits and fixes for crawling, indexing, Core Web Vitals, structured data and AI crawler access.
Content Marketing & SEO Content
Expert content in English and Spanish that answers your customers, built to rank on Google and be cited by AI, with human editing on every piece.
Local SEO & Google Business Profile
Local SEO for businesses with premises or a service area in the Balearics: an optimised Google profile, genuine reviews and consistent data.
Web Development
Custom web engineering with Next.js and headless: measurable performance, integrations with your systems and care plans that protect the build.
Contact
How do other markets see you today?
We review your architecture, hreflang and visibility by country and language, and tell you which market to tackle first.
Personal reply, No obligation, English, Español
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