International SEO · English, Spanish and Portuguese
International SEO for selling in another country.
Translating a website puts nobody at the top in the United States. We settle the domain architecture, implement hreflang, write the content for the destination market and build authority in that country's own publications.
We work in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Headquarters in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
01Overview
International SEO
International SEO is the work of making a company findable in more than one country or language without the versions fighting each other. It rests on four decisions that have to be made in the right order: which domain architecture to use, how to declare the versions with hreflang, who writes the content for each market, and how local authority gets built in each country.
It is the discipline where a mistake costs the most. A Spanish page served to a Brazilian buyer, an hreflang declaration that never closes the loop, or a domain migration without a redirect map can wipe out results that took years to earn.
Netlinks runs in three languages with an in-house team: headquarters in Belo Horizonte and structure in London, Santiago and Panama City. The most recent example is the CLM Controller case, live since 27 August 2026: a .com serving English, Spanish and Chinese, a .com.br restricted to Brazil, 2,013 redirects mapped and complete hreflang.
3
languages we plan, write and execute in
4
countries with Netlinks structure
2,013
redirects mapped on the CLM Controller project
200+
companies served since 2017
02Definition
What international SEO covers
International SEO solves two different problems that usually arrive together. The first is language: you have the same content in two or three languages and every visitor has to land on the right one. The second is country: you speak one language across different markets (the United States and the United Kingdom, Spain and Mexico, Brazil and Portugal) and each market needs the price, lead time, currency and offer that make sense there.
The work resolves across four layers:
Architecture. A dedicated domain per country, a subdomain, or a folder inside one domain. The choice sets cost, speed to result and how much authority each version inherits.
Signaling. Reciprocal hreflang, x-default, canonicals per version, sitemaps per language and correct Search Console configuration.
Content. Copy written by people who know the destination market, with that country's search demand mapped, rather than a literal translation.
Authority. Links and mentions in publications from the country you want to rank in. Brazilian authority does little for a ranking in Massachusetts.
All four hold each other up. The right architecture with literally translated content does not rank. Excellent content with broken hreflang reaches the wrong audience and converts poorly.
03Architecture
Domain, subdomain or folder: how to decide
This is the first decision and the most expensive one to reverse. There is no single answer, only the right answer for your stage, your budget and the shape of your operation.
Model
Example
When it fits
What it costs
One domain per country
company.com and company.com.br
A real local entity with its own pricing, stock and support in each country
Authority built from zero on each domain, maintenance multiplied
Folder per language
company.com/es/
Exporters and companies serving from one central operation
One domain concentrates authority, but hreflang has to be flawless
Subdomain
es.company.com
Separate technical stacks or different platforms per market
Authority partly split, configuration more laborious
Single domain, one language
company.com in English only
Entering one foreign market to test before investing further
Simple and fast, but it does not scale to several countries
04Hreflang
Hreflang: where it breaks in practice
Hreflang is the declaration that tells search engines which version of a page serves each language and region. It is reciprocal: if the English page points at the Spanish version, the Spanish version has to point back, and both have to point at themselves.
In practice, four mistakes account for most of what we find in audits: declarations that never close the loop, invalid language or region codes, a missing x-default (which defines the fallback version for anyone who fits nowhere), and listed URLs that redirect or no longer exist.
We implement the markup, validate it page by page, monitor it in Search Console and re-check it every time the site is updated. It is invisible work, and it is what stops the Spanish version from showing up for a buyer in Chicago.
Reciprocal hreflang on every version, self-reference included
A declared x-default covering visitors who fit no specific region
Valid language and country codes, checked one by one
The final URL in every declaration, never one that redirects
Sitemaps per language and separate Search Console properties
05Content
Content written for the market
Search does not translate. The words someone in Boston uses to look for a granite countertop are not the literal translation of what a Brazilian types, and the intent behind them shifts too: in the United States, much of the search includes the city, the material and the stage of the project.
So the process starts with keyword mapping done in the destination market, with that country's data, rather than a translated version of a domestic plan. The copy is then written by people fluent in that business language, reviewed by a specialist, and adapted on price, units, lead time, contact method and local proof.
Netlinks writes in all three languages with an in-house team. The Leo's Marble & Granite case in Massachusetts went from 46 to 118 ranked keywords between May and September 2026 with exactly this process, in English, from zero.
06Case
CLM Controller: three languages, two domains
CLM Controller is an accounting firm serving foreign companies in Brazil and Brazilian companies abroad. One Brazilian domain was trying to serve both audiences at once. The project, live since 27 August 2026, separated them.
Two domains with clear roles
The .com now serves English, Spanish and Chinese for the international audience. The .com.br is restricted to Brazil and no longer competes with the global version.
2,013 redirects mapped
Every legacy URL received a defined destination before the switch. That is what prevents the classic traffic collapse after a domain reorganization.
Complete hreflang
Every version declared reciprocally, with x-default, validated page by page before going live.
20 pages ported with calculators
The tools that generated traffic and leads were rebuilt and ported to the new versions without losing function or indexing.
07Authority
Authority in every country you want to rank in
Authority is the component that delays everything when it gets ignored. Google reads links and mentions in context: a large Brazilian portal does little for a ranking in Massachusetts, and one American trade association can be worth more than ten generic links.
The work runs on three fronts, executed by our authority practice, Atômico Press:
Local press, with angles built for publications in that country and that industry, not a translated release.
Directories and associations that matter in the destination market, with consistent listings pointing at the correct version of the site.
Planned link acquisition, with a target set from the profile of the competitors already holding the positions you want.
In parallel, the content has to be quotable by AI models in that language. An American buyer asking ChatGPT which vendor to hire gets a list with sources, and that list is assembled from what exists published in English. The GEO practice runs in the same plan, with AI monitoring tracking citations per language.
08Operation
International SEO in three languages, in house
Working outside your home market takes more than a translator. It takes meetings in another time zone, copy written by people who understand the market, and measurement kept separate per country.
A team in three languages
English, Spanish and Portuguese, with headquarters in Belo Horizonte and structure in London, Santiago and Panama City.
Mapping per market
Volume, difficulty and intent measured with destination-country data. The domestic plan is never copied over.
Reporting per language
Rankings, traffic, conversions and AI citations split by version inside the App, 24 hours a day.
In-house engineering
Hreflang, redirects, per-language sitemaps and per-version URLs implemented by our engineering practice, without waiting in your team's queue.
09Cadence
The phases of an international SEO project
An international project has a decision phase that cannot be skipped. After it, execution looks like any other SEO engagement, with one extra layer of technical validation.
Phase 1
Diagnosis and architecture call
A read of what exists, of the destination market and of local competitors. The output is the choice between domain, folder or subdomain, with the cost of each path on the table.
Phase 2
Country keyword map
Research run on destination-market data, grouped by intent, with the page that will answer each group.
Phase 3
Technical structure
Per-language URLs, hreflang, canonicals, per-version sitemaps, Search Console configured and a redirect map whenever domains change.
Phase 4
Market content
Writing and review in the destination language, with price, lead time, units and proof adapted. Approved in the App before publishing.
Phase 5
Local authority
Press, directories and link acquisition in the destination country, with a target set from competitor profiles.
Always
Measurement per version
Every language has its own rankings, traffic, conversions and AI citations, with an executive review each quarter.
10The deliverable
What you receive
Finished work, approved by you in the App and shipped. Not a report that only describes the problem.
A documented architecture decision
Domain, folder or subdomain, with the cost, timeline and risk of each path written down and approved before execution.
Hreflang implemented and validated
Reciprocal declarations, x-default, per-language sitemaps and page-by-page checks, with continuous monitoring.
Keyword map per country
Research on destination-market data, grouped by intent, with a defined landing page for each group.
Content written in the language
Business-grade English and Spanish, reviewed by a specialist, adapted on offer and local proof.
Redirect map
Whenever a domain or structure changes, every legacy URL gets a destination before the switch.
Per-language reporting in the App
Rankings, traffic, conversions and AI citations split by version, 24 hours a day.
11How it works
From the audit to the page going live
The same path on every project, with an owner and a date on each step.
01
Diagnostic conversation
One meeting to understand the target markets, the legal structure, how support works and the sales cycle in each country. No commitment.
02
International audit
Hreflang, domains, duplication between versions, indexing per country and the local competition in each market.
03
Architecture decision
The model is chosen, with cost, timeline and risk stated. Nothing ships before that approval.
04
Technical implementation
Per-language URLs, hreflang, sitemaps, Search Console and redirects, validated before and after the switch.
05
Content and authority
Pages written in the destination language, plus press and link work in the country you want to rank in.
06
Measurement and expansion
A per-version read every month, an executive review every quarter, and entry into new markets when the data supports it.
12Who leads
Who leads your project
The three of them own the process and manage the team on every account. No senior who shows up at kickoff and disappears: they sign off on the plan, review the work and talk to your team.
Digo Garcia
Founder and CAIO
Over 20 years in digital. Built and scaled Letras.mus.br, then worked at Méliuz and in the joint venture with Globo.com. Owns AI, technical SEO and engineering inside every project.
Letras.mus.br · Méliuz · Globo.com
André Mousinho
Chief SEO Officer
Comes from Rock Content, Tray/Locaweb and LWSA. Designs the keyword mapping, the content architecture and the GEO strategy that turns a brand into the answer.
Rock Content · Tray/Locaweb · LWSA
Gabriel Raposo
Chief Authority Officer
Comes from Ambev and Agibank. Owns link building, digital PR and the authority that holds up both rankings and citations inside AI answers.
Ambev · Agibank
And the team behind them: Nathália Barcala (cofounder and COO, governance), Roberto Murta (CTO), Marcelo Ligere (senior advisor, 30+ years, formerly Grupo Globo) and Alfred, the artificial intelligence that runs the day to day: delivery queue, reporting and 24/7 support on WhatsApp.
13Who it is for
Where this work pays off the most
An exporter
Manufacturing, software or services with customers abroad. The work starts with the architecture call and the destination-country keyword map.
A foreign company entering Brazil
A brand from outside that needs Brazilian presence without cannibalizing the global domain. Separating the roles between domains resolves it.
A multilingual operation with a problem
Versions competing with each other, broken hreflang, traffic lost after a migration. It starts with an audit and a redirect map.
14Case studies
Results with a name, a number and a date
Real projects, with what was done and what changed. No generic charts and no promises of a position.
It is the set of decisions and work that makes a site findable in more than one country or language without the versions competing: domain architecture, hreflang, content written for each market, and local authority in each country.
Should I use one domain per country or a folder per language?
A domain per country makes sense when a real local operation exists, with its own pricing, stock and support, and the cost is building authority from zero on each one. A folder per language concentrates authority on one domain and is faster for companies serving from a central operation, as long as hreflang is flawless. The decision comes out of the diagnosis with the cost of each path stated.
What is hreflang and why does it break so often?
It is the declaration that tells search engines which version of a page serves each language and region. It breaks for four main reasons: missing reciprocity between versions, invalid codes, a missing x-default, and declared URLs that redirect or no longer exist. We validate page by page and monitor in Search Console.
Is translating the site enough?
No. Search does not translate: the words, the intent and the competitors change from country to country. The work starts with mapping done on destination-market data, and the copy is written by people fluent in that business language, with price, lead time and proof adapted.
Will I lose traffic when I reorganize my domains?
Only if the change ships without a redirect map. On the CLM Controller project, 2,013 redirects were mapped before the switch and validated after. That is the work separating a reorganization from a collapse. See also website migration.
How long does it take to see results in another country?
It depends on where authority starts. A new domain in a competitive market is quarterly work. A new folder on a domain that already has authority usually shows long-tail movement in 30 to 60 days. The estimate comes out of the diagnosis, with that country's volume and difficulty.
Does Netlinks write in English and Spanish?
We do, with an in-house team in all three languages and structure in London, Santiago and Panama City. Reporting is also split by language inside the App.
How much does an international SEO project cost?
It depends on the number of languages, the architecture chosen, the volume of pages and how much of the technical execution stays with Netlinks. The initial diagnosis carries no commitment, and pricing comes with the plan.
Tell us what your company sells and to whom. One of the three looks at your scenario, points out what is holding organic back today and shows where we would start.
A review of your site and your market, with no commitment
An answer from a senior specialist within 24 business hours
A direct conversation: what can be done, in what order and how deep
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