SEO Localisation

When a UK-based SaaS client wanted to expand to Germany, I started by auditing their existing pages in Google Search Console. The Germany report showed only two pages indexed — both English-only. That told me the first problem was not localisation but indexation. So I created German-language versions of their top five landing pages, but before writing a single word I researched local search intent. The query 'SEO tools' returns comparison guides in the UK but feature comparison tables in Germany. I built a comparison table and wrote the content to match the SERP patterns I observed. I then did keyword research using a local tool (SISTRIX) and mapped each target keyword to one page to avoid cannibalisation. I would take this path every time because intent research upfront prevents wasted localisation effort. Once content was ready, I set up hreflang tags and submitted the URLs in GSC. Within 8 weeks, three of the five pages ranked in the top 10 for their target keywords. The key decision: do not translate existing content — rebuild for the local intent. I also localised meta titles, descriptions and URLs. For example, /de/seo-tools instead of /de/seo-tools-english. The page for 'SEO-Tools' gained 1,200 organic visits from Germany in month 2, compared to 45 from the English version alone. I recommend starting with one market, getting that working, then expanding. That way you build a repeatable process. For markets with different scripts, like Russian or Chinese, you also need to consider URL encoding and hreflang language-region attributes. I once skipped that and Google indexed the wrong version. Now I always specify language-region in hreflang (e.g. de-DE for Germany, de-AT for Austria if content differs). This approach is part of a broader [global SEO strategy](/global-seo-strategy/) and relies on dedicated [international SEO keyword research](/international-seo-keyword-research/) per locale.

1. Don't rely on Google Translate for keywords. I've seen 'digital marketing' translated to 'digitale Vermarktung' in German, which has almost no search volume. The real term is 'Online-Marketing'. Use native speakers or local keyword tools.
2. Hreflang errors are more common than you think. Self-referencing tags must be accurate, and every language version must include a return link. If you delete a page and leave the tags pointing to it, Google will ignore all your hreflang signals. I now verify hreflang using the Google URL Inspection Tool after every change. This is part of effective [multilingual SEO](/multilingual-seo/).
3. Ignore date formats and currency at your peril. A date like 03/04/2025 is March 4 in the US but 3 April in the UK. Use locale-aware formatting. For e-commerce, show currency in the local symbol — don't convert with a tool that displays 'EUR' when visitors expect '€'.
4. Cultural references rarely travel well. A metaphor about 'rainy days' works in the UK but confuses audiences in the Middle East. Have a local reviewer check all idioms and imagery. Japanese users often expect more implicit information and politeness levels; a direct English style can feel rude.
5. SEO localisation is not just on-page. Adapt your internal linking structure if the topic architecture differs by market. For example, 'finance' in the UK might include 'ISA' pages, while in the US it's 'IRA'. Build separate silos. Some practitioners argue hreflang is optional if you use a ccTLD, but I still add hreflang for clarity across language-region variations. This overlaps with [localization SEO](/localization-seo/) best practices, which also cover cultural adaptation.

I once localised a UK content site for US readers and left 'football' everywhere. CTR on those pages dropped 40% within two weeks. When I changed it to 'soccer', the CTR recovered to previous levels within 10 days. The lesson: know the local word, not the literal translation. I now check the top-ranking pages in the target market for the specific terms they use. For idioms like 'missing the boat', I avoid them entirely unless a native speaker confirms they work.

I assumed hreflang was a one-time setup. When I deleted a French version of a page but forgot to remove the hreflang tags from the English version pointing to it, Google sent mixed signals — the English page started disappearing from French SERPs. Now I treat hreflang as part of a content lifecycle: every time I add, change or remove a localised page, I audit the tags. I use the hreflang validator in the Google Search Console URL inspection tool. This is closely related to [SEO translations](/seo-translations/) because translating content is only half the job.

I once optimised only the body copy for localisation and ignored image alt text. A client in Spain was losing traffic on image search because alt attributes still read in English. After translating alt text for all images, the image search traffic from Spain increased by 25% in three months. Now I include alt text in every localisation checklist.

Finally, I used to think localising keywords was enough. But I also needed to adapt the content format itself. A UK case study is often a PDF; in Japan, a landing page with screenshots works better. I now research format preferences per market.