How do you evaluate the international SEO and multilingual capabilities of your competitor's websites?

If you want to rank well in different countries and languages, you need to understand how your competitors are optimizing their websites for international SEO and multilingual users. In this article, you will learn how to evaluate the international SEO and multilingual capabilities of your competitor's websites using four key aspects: domain structure, language targeting, content localization, and technical SEO.

1 Domain structure

The first thing to check is how your competitors structure their domains for different markets and languages. There are three main options: using a single domain with subdirectories, using subdomains, or using separate country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs). Each option has its pros and cons in terms of SEO, user experience, and maintenance. For example, using a single domain with subdirectories can help consolidate authority and simplify management, but it can also create issues with duplicate content and geo-targeting. You can use tools like MozBar or SimilarWeb to analyze the domain structure of your competitors and see how they handle different regions and languages.

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Kranthi Shaik

Marketing Manager | Digital Marketing and Analytics
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To evaluate the international SEO and multilingual capabilities of a competitor's website, you would analyze their search engine rankings in different countries and check the quality and effectiveness of their website translations and language-specific content.

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Ankita Singh Baghel

Digital Marketing | SEO Specialist | Social Media Marketing | Content Writing | Digital Scholar Certified Professional
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To evaluate the international SEO and multilingual capabilities of competitors' websites: Keywords: Identify targeted keywords in multiple languages. Content: Assess the quality and relevance of content in different languages. Backlinks: Examine international backlinks to gauge global reach. Website Structure: Evaluate user-friendly multilingual website design. Localization: Analyze how well they adapt content for cultural nuances. Social Media: Review strategies for engaging diverse audiences. Performance: Check website speed, mobile responsiveness, and user experience. Rankings: Monitor search engine rankings in various countries. these insights are helpful for diverse global audiences effectively.

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2 Language targeting

The next thing to look at is how your competitors target different languages on their websites. There are two main methods: using HTML lang attribute or using hreflang tags. The HTML lang attribute tells search engines and browsers the language of a web page, while the hreflang tags tell search engines the relationship between different versions of a web page in different languages. Both methods help search engines understand the language and relevance of your content and avoid confusion and penalties. You can use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to audit the language targeting of your competitors and see how they implement the HTML lang attribute and the hreflang tags.

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Satendra Singh

Sr. SEO Manager at Wildnet Technologies
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To evaluate competitor websites' international SEO and multilingual capabilities, check site structure, hreflang tags, and geotargeting in Google Search Console. Analyze translated content, localized keywords, and backlink strategies. Assess site performance in different regions and languages using international SEO tools. Monitor social media presence for global reach. This comprehensive approach covers technical aspects, content localization, performance metrics, and social signals.

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3 Content localization

The third thing to examine is how your competitors localize their content for different markets and languages. Content localization is not just about translating words, but also about adapting the tone, style, format, images, symbols, and cultural references of your content to suit the preferences and expectations of your target audience. Content localization can help you improve your engagement, conversion, and trust with your multilingual users and avoid misunderstanding and offense. You can use tools like SEMrush or BuzzSumo to research the content localization of your competitors and see how they tailor their content to different regions and languages.

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4 Technical SEO

The last thing to evaluate is how your competitors optimize their technical SEO for international and multilingual websites. Technical SEO refers to the aspects of your website that affect its performance, speed, usability, crawlability, and indexability by search engines. Technical SEO can have a significant impact on your ranking and user satisfaction, especially for international and multilingual websites that have to deal with different languages, scripts, currencies, formats, and regulations. You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to test the technical SEO of your competitors and see how they optimize their site speed, mobile-friendliness, security, structured data, and canonicalization.

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Ivan K.

Founder/CEO at Autoglot WordPress Translation ðŸ’ Expert in Multilingual Websites & Automated Website Localization
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Analyzing the Technical SEO of a multilingual website requires a comprehensive approach that considers the unique challenges posed by different languages, scripts, and cultural nuances. * Google considers mobile-friendliness a ranking factor, so it's crucial for each version to offer a seamless experience on various devices. * Check if SSL certificates are correctly implemented across all languages. * Check how structured data is implemented across different language versions of your competitors' websites. * Check for the proper canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues. * Review the quality of translated meta tags, titles, and descriptions. * Check the hreflang tags that provide the language and regional targeting of each page.

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5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that donâ€™t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Sarah PokornÃ¡ (Presch)

Consumer Psychology â”‚ Public Speaker â”‚ Digital Marketing Director @ Dragon Metrics â”‚ Co-Founder @ Neurodivergents in SEO
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If you really care about your iSEO, don't follow tips articles like this which are so overly simplified. Get in touch with a real iSEO expert, read their content, and educate yourselves on SEO, localization, and becoming culturally aware.

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How do you evaluate the international SEO and multilingual capabilities of your competitor's websites?

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1 Domain structure

2 Language targeting

3 Content localization

4 Technical SEO

5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

Search Engine Optimization

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