Global Success with International SEO: The B2B Playbook You Need

Expanding into new markets is exciting —but it’s not without its challenges.

Shopify’s story is a great example.

In 2021, they grew their international traffic by 25% through strategic international SEO.

They implemented strategic URL structures, nailed their hreflang tags, and localized content to fit the tastes and needs of each market.

And that’s exactly the kind of success you can achieve when you get international SEO right.

But here’s the thing: Scaling internationally isn’t as simple as translating your website and calling it a day.

It requires a well-thought-out strategy—one that ensures your content reaches the right people, in the right way. Let’s break it down.

Why International SEO is the MVP for Global Expansion

When you’re expanding, you want more than just traffic—you want the right traffic.

International SEO is about making sure that, wherever your customers are, they can easily find your business in their local search engine.

But here’s the kicker: SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all.

For example, a SaaS company expanding into Europe might need to focus on GDPR compliance in its content, while another company targeting Japan may need to address specific local concerns in the tech industry. 

Here’s the International SEO Checklist That Wins Every Time

Here’s a tried-and-tested checklist we’ve used to help our B2B clients achieve better traffic and visibility as they expand globally across different regions:

1. Optimized URL Structure: The Right Foundation

Start with a solid foundation.

While subdirectories work best for most businesses, it's worth understanding all your options:

For a client expanding into Europe, we used subdirectories instead of subdomains (like website.com/fr/ for France or website.com/de/ for Germany).

Why?

As mentioned in the chart, this structure consolidates SEO authority, making it easier to manage and rank across multiple regions.

Why it works: It keeps everything under one domain, making SEO management simpler and more cost-effective.

2. Hreflang Tags: Let Google Know Where to Go

Hreflang tags are essential for ensuring that Google serves the right version of your content to the right audience.

For a client expanding globally, we implemented hreflang tags to target non-English-speaking countries, boosting their international traffic effectively.

Why it works: These tags specify which version of your content should be shown based on the user's location and language, preventing duplicate content issues and improving visibility in regional search results.

When implementing hreflang tags, remember these key points:

- Each page should have a self-referencing hreflang tag

- Use x-default for your global homepage

- If you're using a CMS like WordPress, plugins like WPML can automatically generate these tags for each localized page, helping you avoid manual errors and ensuring they update dynamically when new translations are added

This systematic approach is what helped our client avoid duplicate content issues while expanding into multiple regional markets simultaneously.

3. Localized Content: Speak the Language

Each region has different user behavior and search intent.

Localization is more than just translating text. It’s about tailoring your content to fit regional preferences.

This includes adjusting- 

✅ CTA, Images & messaging based on regional preferences

✅ Local date, currency, and contact information formatting

✅ Country-specific FAQs & legal info (e.g., GDPR focus in EU, CASL compliance in Canada)

Why it works: Localized content resonates better with users, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Examples of website URL structure for pricing pages based on regions-

✅ website.com/pricing/ → Global
✅ website.com/fr/pricing/ → France
✅ website.com/de/pricing/ → Germany

TeamViewer demonstrates region-specific pricing by dynamically displaying costs in INR for India, USD for the US, and GBP for France, ensuring a region-specific experience for users.

Infographics: Localized visuals with region-specific languages (French, Chinese, Spanish) ensure tailored messaging

4. Technical SEO Adjustments: 

Behind the scenes, technical SEO is critical.

• Implementation of Canonical tags:

- Each regional page should self-canonize (point to itself)

- Only canonize to another region if two versions are identical (e.g., UK & Australia)

- Never canonize all regions to your main English page, as this prevents localized pages from ranking

• Language-specific sitemaps 

- Create separate sitemaps for each language to improve indexing and tracking

- This helps search engines discover localized pages faster and ensures each region's content is indexed properly

- It also makes troubleshooting in Google Search Console much more straightforward

For example, Anydesk has country-specific sitemaps like the following-

https://anydesk.com/en/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/en-gb/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/en-au/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/de/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/fr/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/it/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/es/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/pt/sitemap.xml 

https://anydesk.com/nl/sitemap.xml 

This includes canonical tags, language-specific sitemaps, and securing local backlinks.

These adjustments help search engines index your content properly across multiple regions.

Why it works: It ensures your content is indexed correctly, reducing the risk of technical errors that could harm rankings.

Real-life win: We implemented regional sitemaps for a client, speeding up their content indexing and improving rankings in key markets.

5. User Experience (UX): Make It Local, Make It Personal

You’ve got one shot at a first impression, and that’s why user experience matters.

Every region has different expectations when it comes to user experience.

Here are specific UX elements that drive engagement across regions:

- Auto-detect user location (but avoid auto-redirecting, which can frustrate users)

- Implement an easy-to-find language dropdown in your navigation bar

- Display region-specific pricing dynamically based on user location

- Allow users to manually select their region if they need to see information for a different location

These UX optimizations resulted in a 15% decrease in bounce rates for our B2B client targeting European markets.

Why it works: A personalized experience leads to higher user satisfaction, lower bounce rates, and better overall performance.

6. Regional Authority Building: Local Backlinks Matter

While often overlooked, building region-specific backlinks is essential for establishing credibility in new markets.

For a SaaS client expanding into DACH countries, we implemented a targeted backlink strategy that included:

- Securing links from German-language industry publications

- Getting listed in country-specific business directories

- Leveraging local partnerships and PR opportunities in each target region

Why it works: Search engines view these local backlinks as strong signals that your business is relevant and authoritative in that specific region, improving your rankings for local searches.

7.  Note on Dealing with Location-Based Restrictions

Pro tip: Avoid blocking international users from accessing important pages like pricing.

Instead of restriction messages, implement:

- Globally accessible pages with dynamic, region-specific content

- A clear country selector allowing users to choose their region

- Soft redirects to localized versions when appropriate

- Hrefland tags for correct indexing of all pricing pages

Example: https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/ 

Conclusion: How International SEO Drives Business Growth

Look, international SEO isn’t some fluff you can add to your to-do list and forget about.

It’s a strategic play that drives results.

With the right tactics—optimized URLs, hreflang tags, localized content, and technical adjustments—you’ll see your brand gain visibility, improve engagement, and generate more leads in multiple regions.

When done correctly, international SEO helps businesses stand out in new markets, build a stronger local presence, and ultimately grow their global customer base.

To book a meeting with the LeadWalnut team, click here.