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International SEO: how to get found in other countries (and another language)

Translating the site isn't international SEO. Researching what they search there, with its own URL and hreflang, is.

Published Mar 18, 20262 min readPedro Cardozo
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A Brazilian company that wants customers abroad needs to be found in their language. That's international SEO — and the most common mistake is thinking translation is enough.

1. One URL per language

Each language needs its own address: /servicos/branding/ in Portuguese and /en/services/branding/ in English. Switching language with a button without changing the URL makes Google index only one — and both languages compete for the same page.

A subfolder (/en/) is the simplest path for most. A subdomain (en.site.com) or country domains (.com / .com.br) make sense for larger operations.

2. hreflang

The tag that tells Google "this Portuguese page has this English version". It goes in the <head> of every page and in the sitemap, with an x-default pointing to the main language. Without it, Google may show the wrong version to the wrong country.

3. Keyword research in each language

What a Brazilian searches as "agência de branding", an American searches as "branding agency" — but also "brand identity design", which has no direct equivalent. Each language has its own map of terms, volume and intent. Translating the keyword list doesn't work.

4. Adapted content, not translated

Examples, currencies, units, cultural references. An article citing Mercado Livre needs to cite Amazon in the English version. The text must read as if written in that language — because readers and Google notice literal translation.

5. Localization signals

Title and meta description in the page's language, structured data with inLanguage, internal links between pages of the same language, and — for companies serving a specific country — local address, phone and currency.

What Amplifik does

This website is the example: every page exists in Portuguese and English, with its own URL, hreflang, and copy written for each audience — not translated. It's the same thing we do for clients entering or leaving Brazil.

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