International SEO for Manufacturers Selling Across Borders
International SEO helps manufacturers rank in the countries where their buyers are. SEO 1A combines translation with local search engine optimization and has earned top rankings in English, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Thai. Each plan is built around your target markets, priorities and budget, because the leading search engine differs from country to country.
Translation and local search terms
People search differently in every language, so a word-for-word translation rarely ranks.
- Translation of product and capability pages
- Research of the terms local buyers actually use
- Local units, standards and certifications
Local search engines
Google leads in most markets, but not everywhere. We optimize for the engines your buyers use.
- Google, Bing, Naver, Baidu and Cốc Cốc
- Language and country signals (hreflang)
- Pages that load quickly in each market
Market research and planning
We start with your business goals and put effort where the return is highest.
- Target countries ranked by value
- Local competitors in each market
- A plan that fits your priorities and budget
International SEO by Market: Which Search Engines Lead
Depending on your target countries, Google may or may not be the market leader. Even where it leads, other search engines can still bring relevant buyers to your website.
| Market (language) | Search engine share | What it means for your SEO |
|---|---|---|
| United States (English) | Google 85%, Bing 10% | Google first; Bing also feeds Microsoft Copilot answers |
| South Korea (Korean) | Google 48%, Naver 43% | Optimize for both Google and Naver |
| Japan (Japanese) | Google 59%, Bing 31% | Google and Bing; Yahoo! Japan (8%) uses Google’s search technology |
| China (Chinese) | Baidu 47%, Bing 22% | Google is blocked in mainland China; optimize for Baidu and Bing |
| Vietnam (Vietnamese) | Google 93%, Cốc Cốc 6% | Google first, with the local Cốc Cốc engine second |
| Thailand (Thai) | Google 99% | Google only |
| Worldwide | Google 90%, Bing 5% | Google leads overall, but not in every market |
Source: StatCounter Global Stats (opens in a new tab), search engine market share, all platforms, September 2026. Shares are rounded.
How an international SEO program runs
Plan
We learn your business goals, priorities and budget, and choose the markets that matter most to your bottom line.
Localize
We translate and adapt your key pages around the terms local buyers search for.
Optimize and track
We optimize for each market’s search engines and report rankings country by country.
Talk to SEO 1A about your markets Request a free SEO analysis
International SEO: Questions Answered
What is international SEO?
International SEO is the work of making a website rank in search engines in other countries and languages. It combines translation, research into how local buyers search, technical signals that tell search engines which country and language each page is for, and optimization for the search engines used in each market.
Is translating my website enough to rank abroad?
No. Buyers in each country use their own terms, and a literal translation often misses them, especially technical terms. The translated pages also need language and country signals, such as hreflang tags, so search engines show the right version in each market.
Which search engines matter outside the United States?
Google leads in most countries, but not all. In September 2026, Naver had 43% of searches in South Korea, Baidu 47% in China, Bing 31% in Japan, and the local engine Cốc Cốc 6% in Vietnam, according to StatCounter.
How should a multilingual manufacturing website be set up?
Most manufacturers do well with one domain and a folder for each language or country, such as /de/ or /ko/, connected with hreflang tags. Separate country domains can make sense for large markets. We recommend the setup that fits your markets and budget.
In which languages has SEO 1A earned top rankings?
SEO 1A has earned top search rankings for manufacturing clients in English, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Thai.
