International Link Building

Why is international link building important?

A technically sound website with strong content forms the foundation of international SEO. When other relevant websites link to your pages, this also provides external validation of your expertise and authority.

International link building can contribute to:

• a stronger backlink profile within a specific market;
• Improved organic visibility of key landing pages;
• more relevant visitors from abroad;
• greater online brand awareness;
• Support for new international websites or country-code top-level domains;
• a stronger position relative to local competitors;
• More external context surrounding your brand, products, and expertise.

Backlinks are never the only factor that determines a page’s ranking. Technical aspects, content, search intent, user experience, internal links, and competition also play an important role. That’s why we always view international link building as part of a broader international SEO strategy.

When do you need international link building?

International link building is particularly useful if you:

• if you operate a website or online store in multiple countries;
• want to enter a new foreign market;
• have local landing pages that still lack authority;
• is lagging behind local competitors internationally;
• is launching a new country-code top-level domain or a new language version;
• want to attract relevant international visitors, leads, or sales;
• you are not yet visible for important international keywords;
• You want your brand to appear more frequently on relevant external websites.

Not every organization needs dozens of international backlinks right away. The appropriate scope of a campaign depends on the market, the existing link profile, the competition, and the website’s goals.

That’s why we don’t start by buying backlinks, but by conducting an analysis.

Why a Dutch link-building strategy doesn’t work everywhere

Search behavior varies by country. The same applies to language use, trust, media, publication formats, and commercial expectations.

For example, a Dutch keyword cannot always be translated literally into German or French. This is because a correct translation is not necessarily the term that local users actually enter. Furthermore, the search intent behind a similar word can vary from country to country.

Even websites that are authoritative within a given market can vary significantly. A relevant Dutch publisher says little about the authority of a website in France or Italy. That’s why we look at factors such as:

• the country where the organic traffic comes from;
• the website’s language and target audience;
• topics for which the website is visible;
• alignment with your industry;
• the domain’s reputation and history;
• the quality of existing publications;
• the way commercial partnerships are handled.

Our native specialists then ensure that the content is not only linguistically correct but also resonates naturally with the local audience.

Link Building in Various International Markets

We carry out international link-building campaigns in a wide range of European and international markets. We develop a separate approach for each country.

Link Building in Germany

When it comes to link building in Germany, we don’t just focus on German-language content and German domains. We also investigate whether websites are actually reaching relevant German traffic and tailor the content to the expectations of the local target audience.

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Link building in Belgium

Belgium consists of several language regions. As a result, a campaign for Flanders requires a different approach than one targeting Wallonia. We clearly define in advance which region, language, and target audience are the focus.

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Link Building in France

For French campaigns, we work with French-language content and publishers that are tailored to the French market. A literal translation of Dutch outreach content is usually insufficient in this context.

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Link Building in the United Kingdom

The English-language market is competitive and features a wide range of commercial publishers. Thorough quality control is therefore essential to avoid irrelevant websites and unnatural link patterns.

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Other International Markets

Economy also supports campaigns in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Poland, and Scandinavia, among other markets. For each market, we individually assess which keywords, websites, and content formats align with the objectives.

How do we evaluate an international backlink?

A high SEO metric does not automatically make a website suitable. Metrics such as Domain Rating, Domain Authority, Trust Flow, and organic traffic are useful indicators, but taken individually, they do not provide a complete picture of quality.

That’s why our specialists evaluate every placement opportunity based on multiple criteria.

Relevance to Country and Target Audience

We analyze which countries visitors come from and whether the website is actually reaching the target audience the campaign is aimed at.

Content Alignment

The website must be relevant to your industry, product, service, or the topic of the article. This could be a specialized industry website, but it could also be a broader publisher with a logically relevant section.

Organic traffic

We check whether a domain and its relevant pages are receiving organic traffic. In doing so, we look not only at the total traffic figures, but also at the keywords and pages that drive this traffic.

Traffic Growth

Noticeable spikes, sudden drops, or traffic from irrelevant keywords can indicate quality issues. That’s why we also look at trends over a longer period.

Domain History

We check whether the domain had a different topic in the past, has expired, or may have been used for spam. A new website on an old domain with strong metrics is not automatically trustworthy.

Editorial Quality

We assess whether the website publishes authentic and useful content. In doing so, we look at factors such as content coherence, authors, timeliness, language use, and the balance between informative and commercial articles.

Outbound Links

We take a critical view of websites that post large numbers of commercial links to random industries. Even a strong domain may still be unsuitable if its outbound links appear unnatural or are barely monitored.

Placement and Context

A backlink should appear in a logical spot within a relevant article. The text surrounding the link should make it clear why the link is useful to the reader.

Anchor Text Distribution

We do not use an unlimited number of commercial keywords as anchor text. A natural backlink profile typically consists of a combination of brand names, URLs, descriptive anchors, and—where appropriate—commercial search terms.

Which backlinks should we avoid?

International link building isn’t about collecting as many links as possible. Low-quality links add little value and, in some cases, can even pose risks.

That’s why we avoid or evaluate them with extra scrutiny:

• Websites without a demonstrable audience or organic traffic;
• domains with a history of spam;
• general websites that publish an unlimited number of commercial articles;
• Websites that drive traffic based on irrelevant or misleading keywords;
• networks with virtually identical websites and content;
• hacked pages and hidden links;
• placements without contextual content;
• unnatural amounts of exact-match anchor text;
• non-indexable pages;
• links that disappear after a short time;
• publishers that do not exercise any form of editorial control.

For every campaign, we strive to strike a responsible balance between quality, relevance, reach, distribution, and budget.

Our Approach to International Link Building

1. Define Objectives and Markets

We start with your goals. In which countries do you want to grow? Which products, services, and pages are most important? And what results do you want to achieve?

Based on that, we determine the priorities and scope of the campaign.

2. Review the website and its international structure

Link building works best when the technical and content foundations are in place. That’s why, where necessary, we check the following, among other things:

• the international URL structure;
• indexability;
• canonicals;
• hreflang;
• internal links;
• language settings;
• local landing pages;
• mobile usability;
• Speed and technical errors.

If important pages cannot be indexed properly or do not align with local search intent, we discuss this before building additional authority for these pages.

3. Conduct keyword and competitor research

We don’t translate keywords word-for-word; instead, we research how users in that country actually search.

In addition, we analyze competitors that are performing well in local search results. We look at their relevant referring domains, anchor text, landing pages, content, and growth.

This is how we determine what type of backlinks are needed to strengthen your position in the market.

4. Analyzing the Existing Backlink Profile

We analyze which backlinks your website already has and how they are distributed across countries, languages, pages, and anchor text.

In doing so, we look at the following, among other things:

• relevant and less relevant referring domains;
• links to the homepage and commercial landing pages;
• brand anchors and commercial anchors;
• Countries and languages;
• follow and nofollow links;
• potentially harmful or unnatural patterns;
• advantages over competitors.

5. Develop a strategy for each country

Based on the analyses, we determine:

• which pages are prioritized;
• Which topics are suitable for outreach content;
• What types of websites we’re looking for;
• which anchor text distribution is appropriate;
• how quickly we expand the profile;
• how different types of links are distributed;
• The results we track.

6. Selecting Relevant Websites

Economy has an international database with more than 1.1 million placement and outreach opportunities.

That doesn’t mean every website is automatically a good fit. For each campaign, we make a new selection based on country, language, industry, traffic, authority, history, and editorial quality.

You can review the suggested websites in advance. This ensures clarity on where content will be placed and why a website has been added to the campaign.

7. Have local content written

Our native copywriters write articles that align with the publisher’s language and audience. The content must be relevant to the reader and establish a logical connection between the topic, the publishing website, and your organization.

We avoid content that is built solely around a backlink. A good outreach article should be useful and interesting even without the link.

8. Monitor Backlinks

After publication, we check the following, among other things:

• the URL and HTTP status;
• the content and formatting;
• the anchor text used;
• the position of the link;
• the page's indexability;
• any link attributes;
• Changes to the agreed-upon content.

9. Measuring and Optimizing Results

International link building is not a one-time effort. We monitor developments and adjust our approach as results, competition, or market conditions change.

Depending on the campaign, we report on, for example:

• new referring domains;
• quality and relevance of backlinks;
• development of target keywords;
• organic clicks and impressions;
• Performance by country and landing page;
• organic traffic;
• referral traffic;
• leads, sales, or other conversions;
• Development of the backlink and anchor text profile.

We don’t judge results solely based on rising SEO metrics. Ultimately, the campaign must contribute to the organization’s commercial and international goals.

International Link Building and Visibility in AI

Potential customers no longer search exclusively through traditional search results pages. AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews are also being used to find providers, compare solutions, and prepare for decision-making.

These systems can gather information from various online sources. As a result, it’s not just what you say on your own website that matters, but also how other reputable websites describe your brand, expertise, and services.

International link building can contribute to this when the placements:

• appear on thematically relevant websites;
• Provide clear context about the brand;
• Linking expertise to a recognizable topic;
• contain consistent business information;
• can be found by search and AI crawlers;
• be substantively strong enough to be used as a source.

A backlink or brand mention does not guarantee that an organization will appear in an AI response. However, it does help build validation and context around the brand outside of its own website.

That’s why, when it comes to international campaigns, we don’t just look at link value. We also pay attention to the content of the publication, the authority of the publisher, and how your organization is positioned.

Link Building, Digital PR, and Brand Mentions

A link-building campaign typically focuses on acquiring relevant backlinks. Digital PR goes a step further and focuses on newsworthy stories, research, data, expertise, and visibility in relevant media outlets.

These two disciplines can reinforce each other.

A substantive publication that cites your organization as an expert can result in:

• a backlink;
• a brand mention;
• greater reach within the target audience;
• Additional context about your expertise;
• referral traffic;
• new searches for the brand name;
• a greater chance that other websites will repost the information.

That’s why, for suitable campaigns, we also explore whether we can leverage our own data, research, case studies, expert commentary, or practical insights. Such content is often more valuable than a generic article written solely to place a backlink.

How much does international link building cost?

The cost of international link building varies by campaign. There is no fixed rate that delivers the same results for every country, every industry, and every website.

The investment is determined by, among other things:

• the number of countries;
• the selected markets;
• competition within the industry;
• the website's current authority;
• the quality and type of publishers;
• the necessary content;
• the selected campaign duration;
• the desired number of placements;
• the use of native copywriters;
• Any additional SEO or PR work.

A specialized article on an authoritative industry website typically requires a different level of investment than a placement on a general-interest website.

You’ll receive a proposal in advance in which we outline the approach, target countries, scope of work, and budget. This way, you’ll know what the selection is based on and how the budget will be allocated.

Should you handle international link building yourself or outsource it?

It is possible to acquire international backlinks on your own, but it requires a lot of time and local knowledge.

You need to find suitable websites, verify information, contact editorial teams, negotiate terms, have local content written, and continue to monitor published links. When you operate in multiple countries, that complexity increases rapidly.

Outsourcing can be a good option when:

• you don't have enough in-house capacity;
• Lack of local contacts;
• you want to serve multiple countries at the same time;
• you want to have the quality checked in advance;
• you need native content;
• you want a structured strategy and reporting;
• you want to minimize the risk of irrelevant placements.

Economy handles the research, selection, communication, content creation, placement, and monitoring for you. You remain involved in the strategy and can review proposed websites in advance.

Experience with international SEO and link building

Since 2006, Economy has been helping organizations improve their online visibility. From our office in Delft, SEO specialists, outreach specialists, and native copywriters work together on national and international campaigns.

We support online stores, business service providers, and other organizations looking to grow in one or more international markets.

Why outsource international link building to Economy?

Twenty years of online marketing experience

Since 2006, we’ve been helping organizations with SEO, link building, content, and international online marketing.

Strategy by Market

We don’t use the same approach for every country. The selection, keywords, content, and reporting are tailored to the local market.

Native Specialists

Content is written or reviewed by specialists who understand the language and local communication styles.

Extensive international network

Our database contains more than 1.1 million international placement and outreach opportunities. For each campaign, we select only those websites that meet the agreed-upon criteria.

Monitoring of Multiple Quality Factors

We don’t evaluate publishers based solely on DR, DA, or any other isolated metric. We also consider relevance, organic traffic, history, content, and outbound links.

Insight into the suggested websites

You’ll get a preview of the websites proposed for your campaign.

Reporting and Adjustments

We monitor the campaign’s progress and make adjustments based on the available data and the agreed-upon goals.

Achieve global success with international link building

Our link building specialists apply the technique of link building very effectively to Google's search results anywhere in the world. With more than a million partners in our network, we can not only work efficiently, but also guarantee the best prices. With our self-developed tools and our own international SEO platform, we put our expertise to the best use for your success!

Our online specialists will help you

Want to work with us, have questions or want to know more about our approach? Then feel free to contact with our online marketing agency in Delft at [email protected] or 015 202 59 82. Our specialists will be happy to assist you. We also offer various free link building scans to quickly understand the opportunities for your business!

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

International link building raises many questions. Consider our approach, the expected results and the benefits to your business. Below we answer the most frequently asked questions about international link building so you know exactly what to expect.

What exactly is international link building?

International link building is the process of building links from other websites to your website, but targeting multiple countries. This causes your website to rank higher in search results abroad and attract more targeted traffic. It is an important part of an effective international SEO strategy.

How do you obtain backlinks?

We obtain backlinks naturally and sustainably. Our native copywriters write relevant and valuable content that we place on our partners' websites. These partners have authority and organic traffic in the countries you are targeting. This is how we get quality links that really count for Google.

How do you ensure quality backlinks?

We work with an extensive network of more than 1 million international partners. Our specialists ensure that links come from relevant, industry-related websites with authority that have organic traffic.

How will I be kept informed of progress?

We work with an established team that reviews the results with you monthly. You get a clear report that shows exactly what the results of our joint efforts are.

What is international link building?

International link building involves strategically acquiring relevant backlinks and brand mentions on websites in other countries. The goal is to strengthen your website’s authority, discoverability, and brand awareness within specific international markets.

Do I need a separate backlink profile for each country?

You don’t need to build a completely separate profile for every country. However, it must be clear that your local pages are relevant to the target market. Links from websites in the target country or with a relevant audience can help with this. The right balance depends on your domain structure, target audience, and competitors.

Does a backlink always have to come from a local domain extension?

No. A German backlink does not always have to be on a .de domain. An international domain can also be relevant if it publishes German-language content and actually reaches a German audience. The domain extension is one signal, but not the only quality criterion.

Do you translate Dutch outreach articles?

Whenever possible, we rewrite content for the local market. A literal translation often fails to adequately account for local keywords, examples, forms of address, and cultural expectations.

How do you acquire international backlinks?

We select relevant websites from our network and through additional outreach. Next, our native copywriters develop appropriate content, and our specialists coordinate the publication with the website or publisher.

Can I preview the websites beforehand?

Yes. You can review the suggested placement opportunities in advance. We’ll explain why a website might be relevant to the campaign.

How do you ensure quality?

We consider factors such as relevance, organic traffic, traffic trends, country, language, domain history, editorial quality, outbound links, and the existing backlink profile. We never base our assessment on a single metric.

How many backlinks do I need?

There’s no single, general figure that can answer that question in advance. A smaller niche can make progress with just a few strong placements, while a competitive international market may require a structured campaign. We determine the necessary approach based on an analysis of your website and competitors.

How quickly does international link building yield results?

Link building is typically a long-term strategy. How quickly changes become visible depends on the competition, the quality of the website, indexing, content, existing authority, and the frequency of the campaign. That’s why we don’t make any guarantees in advance regarding exact rankings or a fixed timeframe.

Is international link building safe?

No form of link building is entirely risk-free when links are acquired solely to influence rankings. That’s why we focus on careful selection, relevant content, natural anchor text, and diversification. We avoid methods such as hidden links, hacked pages, and large-scale placements on irrelevant websites.

Do you work with paid publications?

For some placement opportunities, a publisher may charge an editorial or publication fee. We clearly state in advance which costs are included in the proposal. Payment alone does not make a website suitable; each opportunity is first evaluated based on its content.

What happens when a backlink disappears?

We monitor placements and discuss in advance what terms apply if an article or link is modified or removed. The exact terms may vary by publisher.

Do backlinks help you appear in ChatGPT or Claude?

Relevant backlinks and brand mentions can help build external authority and context around your organization. However, they do not guarantee a mention in an AI response. Technical accessibility, clear content, expertise, and independent validation also play a role.

Is international link building enough to achieve good rankings abroad?

No. Effective international SEO also requires technically accessible landing pages, local keywords, relevant content, internal links, and a good user experience. Link building reinforces this foundation, but it cannot fully compensate for shortcomings on the website.

How much does an international link-building campaign cost?

Costs depend on the countries, competition, publishers, amount of content, and scope of the campaign. After an analysis, you’ll receive a proposal tailored to your goals and budget.