International SEO Consultant
International SEO consulting
International SEO fails in two ways: the wrong structure, chosen once and expensive to undo, or the right structure with duplicate content in twelve languages that nobody searches for. I'm Deepak Shukla, founder of Pearl Lemon — a team that works across the UK, US, Europe and India. This page covers how to pick markets, how to structure the site, and what the work costs.
- Market prioritisation from real demand data before a single page is built
- ccTLD, subdirectory or subdomain decisions made with the cost of reversal in mind
- Hreflang implemented and validated, not just added
Choosing markets before choosing structure
Start with search demand, competition and your ability to serve the market — sales, support, currency, shipping, legal. It is nearly always better to win one additional country properly than to launch six thin localisations that split your authority and your team's attention.
Site structure: the decision you only make once
Subdirectories inherit the domain's existing authority and are the default for most businesses. Country domains give the strongest local signal and the heaviest cost, and suit businesses with real local operations. Subdomains sit in between and rarely win on merit. Whatever you pick, URLs, hreflang and internal linking have to agree.
Translation is not localisation
Search behaviour differs by market: different terms, different intent, different SERP features. Localised pages need keyword research in the target language, native review of the copy, and local proof — clients, case studies, contact details — or they will not convert even when they rank.
What international seo consulting costs
Fixed scopes, no long tie-ins. Every engagement starts with a call and a written plan.
Audit + roadmap
from £1,500
One-off, 2–3 weeks, delivered with a prioritised fix list.
Monthly retainer
from £3,000/mo
Technical fixes, content and links; 3-month minimum.
Consulting call
£300/hour
Strategy session, recording and notes included.
International SEO consulting — frequently asked questions
- Subdirectories, subdomains or country domains?
- Subdirectories (example.com/de/) for most businesses, because they inherit existing authority. Country domains (example.de) when you have genuine local operations and budget for separate authority building. Subdomains only where technical constraints force them.
- Do I need hreflang?
- If you have similar content for different languages or countries, yes — it tells Google which version to show where and prevents them competing. It must be reciprocal and match your canonicals, which is where most implementations break.
- How much does international SEO cost?
- Audits and market strategy start at £1,500. Ongoing multi-market work starts at £3,000 per month and scales with the number of markets.
Related services
Get a free 10-minute teardown of your site
Send me your site and the one thing you want fixed. I'll record a short teardown of what I'd do first — no pitch, no obligation.