Global SEO: How To Strategise For Multinational Businesses
SUMMARY:
Introduction Going global sounds exciting, but it is often far messier than it seems. Plenty of brands translate their site and expect instant…
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Introduction
Going global sounds exciting, but it is often far messier than it seems. Plenty of brands translate their site and expect instant visibility abroad, only to find nothing changes. The issue is? Translating your website is rarely enough. It’s how people search.If you want to reach people in new global markets, you need a clear global SEO strategy. Read on to find out how it works in practice and what makes it effective.
What Does Global SEO Do?
Strong global SEO unlocks new markets and more diverse audiences.
Global SEO (sometimes called international SEO) helps your website reach people in different countries, and as
, it’s the process of improving your visibility on search engine results pages for other languages and regions.It is not just SEO on a bigger scale, but SEO that responds to context. To pull this off, you need strong regional keyword research, smart content localisation, and a clear site structure. When these elements come together, search engines understand who your content is for and where it should appear in Google Search results.In the end, you are making it easier for people everywhere to find exactly what they are searching for.
Why Global SEO Matters
If you run a multinational brand, you cannot rely on the same SEO strategy across countries and expect it to work. People do not search the same way everywhere.Someone in the UK types “trainers”, while someone in the US types “sneakers”. If your site does not match country-specific phrasing or intent, search engines will not show it.Local SEO and global SEO aren’t rivals. In fact, they often reinforce each other. Local SEO helps people nearby discover your business, while global SEO helps your website appear in different regions and languages. When both are aligned, your business becomes visible at every level.
Start Your Global SEO Right
A strong foundation is essential when building an international SEO strategy. Now, let’s look at how to start it.
How multinational businesses expand their reach beyond the neighbourhood.
Keyword Research
Good keyword research helps you speak the local language and match what users genuinely want. Keep an eye on patterns. Which questions appear repeatedly? What do people search for most in that region?If a keyword shows high interest and fits your offer, add it to your list. Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner help you check keyword difficulty, related queries, and long-term trends.To further strengthen this section, consider reviewing case studies from your industry. They often highlight how different regions respond differently to the same topic, and which keywords work best across borders.
Smart Content Localisation
You have heard the line “Content is King”, and it still holds true. In global SEO, your content performs only when it sounds like you wrote it for the reader.Make your content feel local. Keep examples relevant, adjust tone when required, and use everyday language that fits the culture. Storytelling still works well in global SEO because it feels natural everywhere.When creating content for global audiences, keep these points in mind:
Make it simple
Use relatable examples
Personalise when appropriate
Focus on intent, not just keywords
A strong SEO structure also matters, as it helps search engines recognise the audience and lets it
. Use internal links, clear headings, and proper image alt text. These small choices make it easier for search engines to process your content and keep it visible in the long term.
A Clear Site Structure
Make sure your website works well globally. A simple, organised site structure makes your pages easier for both people and search engines to navigate.Our marketing experts say that
should include:
Strong visual hierarchy for user experience
SEO optimised content
Intelligent chatbots
Clear call-to-actions
A quick note on URL structures: They should stay simple when serving different countries. Separate folders, like
/sg/
or
/id/
, help search engines and users understand which content is country-specific.A well-structured site supports your SEO best practices and makes your global search performance more predictable over time.
The Business That Hacked Global Search
It’s one thing to understand theory, but seeing it in practice paints a clearer picture. Several well-known brands have used clever, simple global SEO tactics to reach audiences everywhere.
HubSpot’s Global Content Play
HubSpot ranks worldwide by localising its blog content for different markets.
HubSpot’s blogs prove you don’t need flashy campaigns to grow globally. Targeting international audiences, they skip the copy-paste routine. Instead, their articles are manually translated for smooth, nuanced reading worldwide.Rewriting
makes the brand feel uniquely local, everywhere.HubSpot groups articles into topic clusters, published across multiple languages. This helps search engines understand the depth of their content and rank them for thousands of long-tail keyword searches.
Airbnb’s Local Magic
Airbnb goes global by tuning its listings to local demand.
Airbnb’s secret global search strategy? Make every city feel like its own homepage. Its city pages (“Homes in Tokyo”, “Apartments in Rome”) use local phrases, local spelling, and local travel patterns.It’s not just translation, either. Airbnb creates guides based on what people in each country search for. Clean regional URLs like
/tokyo/
,
/edinburgh/
, and
/new-york/
help search engines understand each location.Boosting brand visibility, Airbnb makes it easy for travellers to find what they need and for Google to rank their pages worldwide.
The Blind Spots Most Brands Miss
Treating Every Market The Same
A lot of brands assume people everywhere act the same, but that’s not how it works. Pages get views but nobody converts—or worse, they pull in the wrong crowd. Adjust your tone, examples, and structure to make each market feel understood.
No Ownership or Local Expertise
Let each team take ownership. Local teams know their audience; HQ knows the brand direction. Successful brands create frameworks and let local teams adapt them. Without balance, strategy becomes unclear and markets drift apart.
Expanding Too Fast
Launching multiple markets at once without a clear structure leads to poor sequencing. Brands that slow down early grow faster later. A phased launch lets you gather insights, spot mistakes, and apply those learnings to the next market.
Global SEO Is A Long Game
Being patient is key. You are working across different countries and behaviours, so progress will naturally vary. That is normal. What matters is consistency.Keep refining your content, structure, and keyword targeting, then monitor how each region responds over time. Long-term results come from steady improvement rather than quick fixes.If you want the heavy lifting handled, we can build a global SEO plan for every market you enter. Our
shape an international SEO strategy tailored to each market you step into.
