Subfolder, subdomain or country domain for a multilingual site?

For most B2B companies a subfolder (e.g. /en/, /de/) is a good start, because it shares the authority of a single domain and is easy to manage. Country domains give a strong local signal, but each needs its own authority and management. The decision depends on the number of markets, whether you have local teams and your technical setup.

What is the difference between translation and localization?

Translation moves text into another language; localization adapts search terms, currency, regulations, examples and trust signals to the market. The same service is searched with different words in two countries; keyword research should be done separately for each language.

Will a hreflang error affect our traffic?

If hreflang is wrong, Google may show users in one country the page in another language, or treat the pages as copies of each other. The most common error is missing reciprocal (return) links.

Which market should we enter first?

We decide from existing demand data: the country breakdown in Search Console, requests reaching the sales team, and search volume and competition in the target market. Doing one or two markets well at first is more efficient than opening many markets superficially.

How do we become visible in AI assistants in other languages?

The page in each language needs its own definition, evidence and FAQs, and the brand needs to appear with the same description in that market's directories and publications. Measurement also uses a separate question set for each language.

International SEO: multilingual sites, hreflang

In short

What is International SEO? The answer in one paragraph.

Roicool's international SEO service covers market prioritization, the choice between subfolder, subdomain or country domain, hreflang setup, separate keyword research for each language, localized content and measurement by language. The aim is to show users in each country the right page in their own language.

Last updated: 21 October 2026View as Markdown

You get demand from abroad, but your English or other-language pages do not show up in search.

Four problems we solve.

You get demand from abroad, but your English or other-language pages do not show up in search.
Users in one country see your page in another language.
Your pages are translations that do not match the search terms used in the target market.
You are entering a new market and need to decide on site structure.

Scope

What we do

01
Market prioritization
Deciding which markets to enter, and in what order, using country data in Search Console, sales enquiries and search volume in the target markets.
Deliverable · Market prioritization report
02
Site structure
The choice of subfolder, subdomain or country domain; language switcher and automatic redirect rules.
Deliverable · Site structure and
03
Hreflang
Reciprocal hreflang pairs, x-default, and correct implementation in sitemaps or HTML.
Deliverable · Keyword maps by
04
Local keyword research
Separate research for each language: the same service is searched with different words in different markets.
Deliverable · Monthly country and
05
Localization
Adaptation, not translation: examples, currency, regulations, trust signals and contact details.
06
Measurement by language
Reports by language and country in Search Console and GA4; a separate question set in each language for AI visibility.

01Market prioritization

Market prioritization

Deciding which markets to enter, and in what order, using country data in Search Console, sales enquiries and search volume in the target markets.

Deliverable · Market prioritization report

02Site structure

Site structure

The choice of subfolder, subdomain or country domain; language switcher and automatic redirect rules.

Deliverable · Site structure and

03Hreflang

Hreflang

Reciprocal hreflang pairs, x-default, and correct implementation in sitemaps or HTML.

Deliverable · Keyword maps by

04Local keyword research

Local keyword research

Separate research for each language: the same service is searched with different words in different markets.

Deliverable · Monthly country and

05Localization

Localization

Adaptation, not translation: examples, currency, regulations, trust signals and contact details.

06Measurement by language

Measurement by language

Reports by language and country in Search Console and GA4; a separate question set in each language for AI visibility.

Price: by scope, written in the proposalAsk for a proposal

roicool.com · Semrush · organic keywords (index)

+370%keywords ranking on Google, over 12 months (Oct 2025 = 100)

Our own site's Semrush data, as an index rather than raw counts: Oct 2025 = 100, Sep 2026 = 470. Mar → Sep 2026: +21%. The dips are real and stay in.

Source: Source: Semrush (roicool.com, Turkey database), October 2026 · Oct 2025 → Sep 2026

Show the table

Period	keywords ranking on Google, over 12 months (Oct 2025 = 100)
Eki	100
Kas	110
Ara	229
Oca	327
Şub	376
Mar	390
Nis	361
May	414
Haz	437
Tem	402
Ağu	438
Eyl	470

roicool.com · Semrush · estimated organic traffic (index)

+1,263%estimated monthly organic traffic, over 12 months (Oct 2025 = 100)

Semrush's estimated monthly organic traffic, as an index: Oct 2025 = 100, Sep 2026 = 1,363. Mar → Sep 2026: +65%.

Source: Source: Semrush (roicool.com, Turkey database), October 2026 · Oct 2025 → Sep 2026

Show the table

Period	estimated monthly organic traffic, over 12 months (Oct 2025 = 100)
Eki	100
Kas	332
Ara	634
Oca	1,026
Şub	781
Mar	825
Nis	988
May	1,599
Haz	1,255
Tem	1,381
Ağu	1,636
Eyl	1,363

roicool.com · Semrush · cited in Google AI Overviews (index)

+583%AI Overview citations, Mar → Sep 2026 (Mar = 100)

Semrush's Turkey AI Overview data starts in March 2026, so the index starts there: Mar = 100, Sep = 683.

Source: Source: Semrush (roicool.com, Turkey database), October 2026 · Mar → Sep 2026

Show the table

Period	AI Overview citations, Mar → Sep 2026 (Mar = 100)
Mar	100
Nis	167
May	250
Haz	350
Tem	417
Ağu	617
Eyl	683

Cases

Results, with their method. One case from this service.

All case studies

İstanbul Care
Medical tourism

How we built the ad architecture for a multi-market health tourism brand

Istanbul Care's ads are not pooled into one campaign set. Google Ads and Meta Ads are set up separately for each of 11 country and language splits, and each platform applies that breakdown on its own. CAPI feeds the conversion signal back without loss. The $120,000 monthly budget follows the architecture rather than a market list.

Read the İstanbul Care case

Published on the project record: the average of the work so far · 3 months (ongoing)

In the same area

In the same area. Services that work side by side.

This service is part of Data-driven SEO agency

01 / 05

Team and proof

The team that does the work, the result we measured. Our rating and our badges can be checked.

Clutch reviews Clutch

5.0★★★★★8 verified reviews

“Roicool knew what they were doing and were ready to answer our questions with their expertise anytime.”
Sena Miskioğlu, SESTEK Marketing Manager · 20 October 2026

Clutch profile

Case result

12x average ROI

Published on the project record: the average of the work so far · 3 months (ongoing)

Read the İstanbul Care case

Team

Strategy, content, development and measurement in one team.

projects: 13
cases: 9

Mahmud FiloğluProfile Managing Partner · Owner of this service

Partnerships and certifications

Frequently asked questions

Subfolder, subdomain or country domain for a multilingual site?
For most B2B companies a subfolder (e.g. /en/, /de/) is a good start, because it shares the authority of a single domain and is easy to manage. Country domains give a strong local signal, but each needs its own authority and management. The decision depends on the number of markets, whether you have local teams and your technical setup.
Copy link
What is the difference between translation and localization?
Translation moves text into another language; localization adapts search terms, currency, regulations, examples and trust signals to the market. The same service is searched with different words in two countries; keyword research should be done separately for each language.
Copy link
Will a hreflang error affect our traffic?
If hreflang is wrong, Google may show users in one country the page in another language, or treat the pages as copies of each other. The most common error is missing reciprocal (return) links.
Copy link
Which market should we enter first?
We decide from existing demand data: the country breakdown in Search Console, requests reaching the sales team, and search volume and competition in the target market. Doing one or two markets well at first is more efficient than opening many markets superficially.
Copy link
How do we become visible in AI assistants in other languages?
The page in each language needs its own definition, evidence and FAQs, and the brand needs to appear with the same description in that market's directories and publications. Measurement also uses a separate question set for each language.
Copy link