Pakistan
USA
Canada
UK
Dubai
Australia
Germany
- Each market needs its own URL that Google can crawl.
- Subfolders are usually the simplest option for growing businesses.
- hreflang links versions together but does not replace local content.
- Never force visitors or Googlebot to a version by IP.
Should I use a ccTLD, subfolder or subdomain?
Google supports all three; the right one depends on resources.
Structure | Example | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
Country domain (ccTLD) | example.ae, example.co.uk | Strongest country signal, but separate sites to build and maintain |
Subfolder | example.com/uk/ | Easiest to manage and shares the main domain's strength |
Subdomain | uk.example.com | Flexible hosting, but often treated more like a separate site |
URL parameters | example.com/?country=uk | Not recommended by Google for locale targeting |
Which structure do you usually recommend?
For most service businesses, subfolders on one strong domain are the practical choice. They keep one site to maintain, one set of links working for every market, and they are simple to set up in WordPress and most other platforms. A generic domain such as a .com can target any country through its subfolders.
Country domains make sense when you have a real local operation, budget for separate content and link building, and customers who trust the local domain. A Pakistani business might keep a .pk site for local customers and a .com for international work, but only if both can be properly maintained. Two thin sites usually do worse than one good one.
How should I write for each market?
Translating or copying a page with a new country name is not enough. Each market page should reflect local search terms, prices in local currency, local phone numbers, relevant regulations, and examples customers in that country recognise. A UK visitor expects VAT and pounds; a UAE visitor may need trade licence details and dirham pricing.
Language matters as well as country. English pages for the UK and UAE can share structure but should not be word-for-word copies, or Google may treat them as duplicates and choose one to show. Arabic or Urdu pages should be written or reviewed by fluent speakers. Our guide to fixing duplicate content explains how Google handles near-identical pages.
How do I set up hreflang?
hreflang tells Google which version suits which language and region.
- List every versionMap each page to its equivalents, for example /uk/seo/, /ae/seo/ and /ar-ae/seo/.
- Use the right codesUse language then optional region, such as en-GB, en-AE, ar-AE or ur-PK. The UK code is GB, not UK.
- Make links reciprocalEach version must list all the others and itself; one-way tags are ignored.
- Add x-defaultPoint x-default to a fallback page, such as a country selector or your main English page.
- Choose one methodUse HTML link tags, HTTP headers or the XML sitemap, and validate regularly.
Which local signals and links matter?
Google uses a range of signals to understand which country a page is for, including local addresses and phone numbers, currency, language and links from sites in that country. Earn mentions and links from local sources: trade associations, chambers of commerce, local press and partners in each market. A handful of relevant local mentions in each country usually does more than many links from unrelated sites abroad.
If you have a real office in a country, create and verify a Google Business Profile for it and link the profile to that market's pages. Do not create profiles for addresses where you do not operate, as that breaks Google's guidelines. Keep business details consistent across directories in each country, because AI tools also use them to describe you.
Why should I avoid IP redirects?
Automatically sending visitors to a version based on their IP address seems helpful, but it causes problems. Googlebot mostly crawls from the United States, so forced redirects can stop it seeing your other versions at all. Travellers and expats also get stuck on the wrong version. This is common in the Gulf, where many residents browse with settings from their home country and want a different version from the one their IP suggests.
Google recommends against automatic redirection based on perceived location. A better approach is a small, dismissible banner suggesting the local version, plus a visible country or language switcher in the header or footer. Let people choose, remember their choice, and keep every version reachable by a normal link. Search engines and visitors then see the same set of pages, which is what Google needs to match each version to the right audience.
How do I use Search Console for each market?
Add a URL-prefix property in Search Console for each country subfolder, such as /uk/ and /ae/, alongside your main domain property. This lets you see performance, queries and indexing issues for each market separately, and filter by country to check the right pages appear in the right place. Verified subfolder properties also make it easier to share data with local teams.
Google retired the old international targeting report in 2022, so hreflang, local content and local signals now do that job. Check the Pages report for versions marked as duplicates with a different canonical, which often means two market pages are too similar. Our international SEO services cover the full setup and ongoing checks.
How we handle this for clients
We start by agreeing which markets and languages are worth a dedicated version, based on where the business can actually serve customers. Then we choose a URL structure, map every page to its equivalents and plan local content, contact details and pricing for each market. Markets that cannot be supported properly are left out rather than given thin pages.
We implement hreflang, a country switcher without forced redirects and separate Search Console properties, then check indexing for each version. Local profiles, directories and link outreach are planned per country. Where AI search matters, we check how assistants describe the business in each market, as covered in getting into Google AI Overviews.
Common international SEO mistakes
These cause the wrong page to rank, or none at all.
Copy-paste market pages
Identical pages with a different country name tend to be treated as duplicates.
Broken hreflang
Missing return tags or wrong codes such as en-UK mean Google ignores them.
Forced IP redirects
Crawlers and travellers cannot reach other versions.
One phone number everywhere
A single number undermines local trust and local signals.
Junaid has more than 18 years in SEO, paid media, web development and custom software. He founded SEOnumber1, builds WordPress plugins, CRMs and web applications, has served 500+ clients in 48 countries, and holds Google Ads, Analytics and Google Blue and Green Belt certifications. He is a National Level Award Winner in Digital Marketing. Read his story or ask a question about this article.