What is International Link Building? A Detailed Guide

International link building is a link building strategy that focuses on earning backlinks from websites based in foreign countries. With search engines looking at authority on both local and global levels, businesses use this strategy to build trust, show up in country-specific search results, and reach audiences they can’t reach with domestic SEO alone.

The process is similar to traditional link building, but it also involves country-specific research, multilingual outreach, localized content creation, and careful technical SEO planning.

Link building specialists at Heroic Rankings see international link building as extremely valuable, as it helps establish credibility within new markets faster than content or ads alone. The idea is to point to both search engines and users that a business is relevant and trustworthy in that specific region. This improves not only rankings but also perception, making it easier to compete with companies that have been operating locally for years.

As mentioned above, international link building refers to the process of obtaining backlinks from websites based in other countries that are aimed at their local audiences. The main goal is the same as in traditional link building, with businesses employing this strategy to earn authoritative and relevant references from trustworthy sites. However, this international approach adds layers to cultural awareness and market adaptations.

International link building takes the practice of getting backlinks in the country a business is based in or its primary language market and applies it to other countries. All of the main ideas, which are quality, relevance, and authority, stay the same, but the process becomes more complex as it’s necessary to adjust to different cultures, search habits in those specific areas, and language expectations.

You can’t just take what works in your primary market and apply it to another country. For example, what works in the U.S. may not necessarily apply to Germany, as the audiences there have different behaviors and ranking algorithms work in different ways. Additionally, business communication norms may be different and you can’t approach publishing sites the same way you do locally.

In other words, outreach in traditional link building usually happens in a familiar ecosystem, meaning that people involved in the process speak the same language, have similar interests, and understand local digital norms. International link building, on the other hand, needs more layers of strategy, such as:

From all this, you can see that international link building is much more than simply posting content in another language and obtaining backlinks. Instead, the whole process involves significantly more adaptation of your approach to meet the needs of people in the regions you’re expanding to. Companies that understand these differences and adjust accordingly often build stronger relationships with local sites or publishers, resulting in them getting more and higher-quality backlinks that affect their rankings in markets they’re targeting.

When entering a new market, you can’t assume that your local relevance and ranking will just carry over. Instead, you have to approach any country you want to expand to as a place where you need to earn recognition. Search engines need to see that your website offers value to local users and one of the best ways to show this is to get backlinks from local sources.

With trusted local publishers adding links to your website, it shows search engines that your website is important in that market. This, in turn, makes it more likely that you’ll show up in the search results that matter most—those that are shown to people who live there.

International link building also indicates to both users and search engines that you’re not just taking your brand to a new market. Instead, it shows that you understand the local culture and have adjusted to the norms of that specific country. When you get everything right, any backlinks you gain can help you get more visibility, enter that market more easily, and grow your brand globally over time.

When you’re entering a new country, one of the fastest ways to get noticed is by earning mentions on the websites your potential customers already read. International link building helps you step into these conversations naturally and authentically. By focusing on genuine value and local fit, your brand becomes far more relatable to new audiences. Below are three proven strategies to help you make that impact:

This international link building strategy is exactly what it sounds like. It involves going through sites in the area you’re expanding to and looking for any mentions of your competitors. Local sites that have included them in their blog posts already have content that is relevant to your niche and reference brands similar to yours. This means they might be ready to make minor adjustments to their posts and mention your brand as well

To get everything right, you need to tailor your pitch to the local contexts. It’s important to understand that these publishers receive many requests and may not open those they find to be too generic. That’s why it’s important to take this opportunity to explain why your brand is particularly valuable to the audience in their specific country, whether that’s through localized features, region-specific data, or translated content

This strategy becomes even more effective when you turn one-off collaborations into long-term content partnerships. If a site was ready to adjust its content to mention your brand, it means they might be ready to feature it again in further updates or new posts.

Listicles have, for years, been one of the most effective tools for both traditional and international link building. Customers in every industry commonly turn to the web to find a product or service they need, meaning that they click on articles such as “Top 10 Tools for” or “Best Tools for”. These articles are often evergreen and attract steady traffic, making them ideal for gaining long-term and high-value backlinks in new markets.

These articles are often built around multiple recommendations and, by their nature, require frequent updating. These edits are applied to mention new features often by brands listed in the article or remove those that are no longer available. Additionally, they’re applied to adjust for rebrands or remove companies that are no longer operating.

In their updates, publishers are also often ready to include new brands in their posts, especially when the product or service is relevant and helpful for their readers. This is again where making a strong pitch and demonstrating clear value to that specific market can make all the difference.

This strategy is largely connected to both competitor mentions and listicles, but it’s extremely well-suited for link building since the purpose of those pages is to help users find alternatives to a competitor’s product or service. This means they provide some of the easiest and most receptive link building opportunities, especially in foreign markets.

When users in a foreign market compare alternatives available to them, they often look at both local and international options. Getting your brand included in these pages instantly puts you right in front of high-intent searchers.

The process of finding suitable pages is similar to finding competitor mentions and listicles, with a focus on “alternative” pages. Once again, it’s important to reach out with localized proof points such as translated resources and key points why your brand is relevant to their audience.

Like most other aspects of running a business, international link building is more effective when approached through a more clear and repeatable framework. With every market operating in its own way, having a structured process ensures you’re not just collecting links but building lasting authority in each region you target. This four-step approach creates consistency across campaigns while giving you the flexibility to adapt based on cultural, language, and technical differences:

The beginning of any international link building campaign begins with extensive research. To make your efforts effective, you need to be aware of how users in that region interact with online content, what kind of posts they trust, and which local sites they find to be trustworthy. This also includes conducting country-specific keyword research, as people in a new market may use different terms and phrases when browsing the web.

Additionally, you need to know which search engines they rely on when browsing the web. Google may be the most popular engine in the world, but there are countries that are exceptions. Yandex is commonly used in Russia, while the go-to engine for Chinese users is Baidu.

Another important part of research is knowing the small differences in behavior and culture. There are big differences in communication standards between countries. Some cultures like short, very formal communication, while others like friendly, personal communication. Also, different readers have different expectations. For instance, some markets like very detailed technical articles, while others like short pieces that get right to the point. These differences have a direct effect on how your outreach is received and how you should write your content.

The first phase of your campaign should also include researching how your competitors rank in your target region. It’s also important to look at which sites and type of content they appear in. This information can help you get a better idea of what works and what doesn’t in that country, showing you new opportunities you might not have thought of before.

Once you have a better understanding of the market you’re targeting, you can begin selecting which link building strategies make the most sense for it. The strategies described earlier in this post are universally effective, but they still require adjustment based on regional norms.

It’s important to remember that not every tactic is equally effective in all parts of the world. Some countries have strong blogging cultures while others rely more on local news sites. Depending on the data you collect while researching, you can choose which publishers you want to connect with and what type of content would be suitable for your campaign.

Your broader objectives should also influence your strategy selection. If you’re trying to enter a highly competitive foreign market quickly, it’s a good idea to prioritize approaches that deliver results faster. This can include securing updates to existing articles or getting your brand into comparison pages that are already ranking in that specific region. When thinking long-term, it’s all about building long-lasting relationships with authoritative websites that are relevant to your niche. This can result in a long line of articles and recurring mentions that will strengthen your authority across the region.

The next step involves conducting outreach in a way that resonates with people living in your target country. This is often the most delicate part of international link building. 

Doing some basic research on professional communication in that selective country is a great starter. If your budget allows it, you can also have a native speaker write or review your outreach material and suggest edits to increase your success rate. The goal here isn’t just proper grammar but authentic communication that matches the way these publishers interact in their everyday operations.

Relationship building is another vital component. Some global link building opportunities will naturally lead to one-time mentions but there will also be those where it’s possible to create ongoing partnerships. If the website is authoritative and relevant to your industry, you can greatly benefit from continuing the relationship. A publisher you start working with can become a dependable source of backlinks and exposure in their region.

As in all business initiatives, how successful your efforts are depends on your ability to figure out what’s working and what's not, as well as making adjustments based on the data you have at your disposal. Tracking results becomes even more important when targeting multiple countries, as each of their respective markets can behave differently.

When monitoring your performance, there’s so much you can track. It all starts with the number of links you’ve earned. However, the true value lies in how those links influence visibility in each specific region. This means reviewing changes in your international keyword rankings, analyzing organic traffic from the target countries, and assessing how much referral traffic is coming from the sites you’ve collaborated with. The end goal is to get a clearer picture of where your strategy is resonating and where further adjustments are necessary.

It’s also smart to regularly review the quality and relevance of the links you’ve acquired. A backlink from a reputable local site can do far more for your rankings than multiple links from those that have little connection to what your business does. This helps you understand which types for publishers are worth building deeper relationships with and which ones don’t provide long-term value.

International link building can accelerate your global visibility significantly, but it comes with its own set of challenges, ones that you rarely encounter in domestic campaigns. To expand successfully, it’s good to be aware of what those challenges are and how to bypass them:

When looking at websites in your area, it can be easy to tell which site is authoritative enough and worth collaborating with. However, when analyzing international sites, overlooking signs that a site is not relevant or reputable becomes much easier. There’s the language barrier, mistakes from translation tools, and more. 

A link may look appealing because it comes from a foreign website with a decent domain authority, but if that site lacks relevance or authenticity within the region, it will, in reality, provide little to no value to your campaign.

In more severe cases, poor-quality links may even undermine your credibility in the eyes of both users and search engines.

Cultural and language differences create another layer of complexity in international link building. 

Communication styles differ by region and what sounds polite in one language may sound rude in another. International publishers may also have different views on how content should sound or be structured. Even the way readers interact with content may be different from country to country. If you don’t adjust to these differences your outreach efforts might not work and your content might not get any traction.

Again, in severe cases, mistakes emerging from cultural and language differences can even have a negative impact on the look of your brand in that specific region.

Technical SEO is an extremely important part of all your SEO efforts, including international link building.

Search engines can easily get confused if hreflang tags don’t work, redirects don’t work, or content isn’t properly localized. This can make them show the wrong page to users in a certain country. Even the best link-building strategy can lose its benefits because of these technical problems. 

Making sure that regional pages load quickly, show the right currencies and units, and are easy to tell apart from each other can help you stay relevant and improve your search visibility in all markets.

International link building ultimately comes down to proving that your brand deserves visibility in markets other than your own. It’s not what many consider it to be, which is gathering as many foreign backlinks as possible. Instead, it’s all about showing publishers in the area you’re targeting that your website is worth pointing to, building relationships with them, and ultimately growing your presence in foreign markets.

While it’s strongly connected to traditional link building, this strategy comes with different priorities and goals of its own. It’s important to approach every new region with intention, ensuring that each effort supports genuine relevance in that specific market. 

The most obvious reward is getting your website to rank higher in search engine result pages. However, global link building also makes it easier to enter markets, positions your brand as more established and relevant to local audiences, and lays the groundwork for long-term growth.

The main goal of international link building is to make your business more visible and trustworthy in certain foreign markets. When your website gets backlinks from sites that are relevant in that specific country, it indicates to search engines that it deserves to rank higher in that region. High regional ranking attracts more clicks and makes your brand seem more authoritative for local audiences.

Learn more about your target market, look at how your competitors are mentioned in that region, and find most relevant and trustworthy local websites you can collaborate with. From there, you need to choose link building strategies that fit what people in that area expect, create more localized outreach materials, and start connecting with publishers in that country.

Not necessarily. Translating your website can help with international link building, but it’s not always the right approach. Since it’s localization that matters the most, it’s better to create optimized versions of your key pages and outreach materials.

The time it takes to see results from international link building depends on several factors, including the most-used search engine in that area, efforts made by your competitors, your technical setup, and more. However, the early signs can usually be seen within two to four months. After six to twelve months of steady link building and local SEO, growth usually becomes more noticeable.

You do it the same way you do it for traditional link building, but with a focus on how your website is performing in each country you want to reach. The most important metrics are the obvious ones, such as the number of backlinks, keyword ranking, organic traffic, and Search Console performance broken down by geography.