When considering international growth, one of the first questions international SEO agency and brand teams deal with - and consistently debate over - is nailing down the best domain structure for a multi-country and multilingual site. The international domain structure decision is crucial; it acts as a clear, necessary statement of intent for search engines and your worldwide customer base.
When AccuraCast's multilingual SEO experts are asked, "what is the best domain structure for international SEO?", we're basically helping them decide on the ideal approach for housing market-specific content. Should the business launch completely separate regional websites, or keep everything consolidated under one main, powerful domain? Are sub-domains better or should sub-directories be used? Every choice involves a calculated trade-off concerning domain authority, running costs, and technical complexity. Getting this wrong at the start can saddle the business with technical debt later on.
SEO / GEO and editorial teams have three primary multilingual website architectural choices.
You have three domain-level options to signal to Google, ChatGPT, and your users exactly which content is meant for which language or country.
Example: example.de (Germany), example.co.uk (United Kingdom)
ccTLDs provide the most powerful geographic indication possible. A country-code domain immediately signals to search engines and users that the entire website is specifically focused on that particular nation. This instantly builds local trust and frequently drives an improved organic click-through rate, as users naturally favour local domains for local services. SE Ranking, 2025 data confirms ccTLDs secure a substantial number of Google's highest ranking spots globally, cementing their role as the clearest geographic marker.
Nonetheless, they do carry significant operational limitations. Adopting ccTLDs is comparable to setting up distinct, comprehensive corporate entities in every market.
Amazon is a prominent example of a major global brand that uses ccTLDs. This sends a powerful trust signal to local customers demonstrating dedication to their market, and gives Amazon a significant SEO boost, helping them often outrank other international competitors.
Example: example.com/gb/, example.com/de/
The subdirectory option simply involves assigning a language or country folder under your top-level domain. This is commonly viewed as the lowest cost and most scalable option for global growth.
Because they enable single-domain consolidation, effectively making management and content production a lot more cost-effective, subdirectories account for a substantial share of successful top-ranking global websites.
Nike and IKEA are examples of large international enterprise brands that opt to use subdirectories rather than ccTLDs. This demonstrates consolidation under a main domain name, and focus on the brand identity linked to the international domain.
Example: uk.example.com, fr.example.com
Subdomains initially gained popularity because they offered technical separation from the primary site. They allow regional teams to manage content autonomously and utilise distinct content management systems.
For further information, read my guide to Local SEO and International SEO technical strategy.
If you find the operational complexities of managing multiple domains, creating equal amounts of content for each domain, and doing PR or building links for each domain too expensive, too inefficient, or just impossible for your team to handle, it might be a good idea to consider your options:
If you do decide to migrate multiple ccTLDs to a single domain and use subdirectories for each language + location culture, here are a few pointers to keep in mind:
If you find international customers in certain countries don't trust the brand, the local regulations require a ccTLD, search engines in the country prefer websites with the local domain extension, or the vast majority of prominent search results are from local ccTLDs then you should consider using ccTLDs, so long as you have the resources and can commit to maintaining those additional domains.
AccuraCast's international SEO specialists suggest the following tips for businesses considering a move to ccTLDs:
Read our guide on optimising global enterprise sites for multilingual & multi-market search.
The ultimate choice of global SEO domain strategy requires weighing operational efficiency against the confidence of local users. This decision table gives a simplified view, that should help guide the SEO decision for domain structure in most situations:
For most companies in the international expanding stages, especially those functioning in various languages or areas within a single continent, AccuraCast recommends the gTLD with subdirectories (example.com/de/), as it proves the most sensible and effective choice. It centralises link equity, streamlines maintenance, and offers the simplest tracking setup, thereby unifying SEO benefits under one single, strong domain.
Conversely, if you're aiming for a premium market with a large budget, or if local trust is the most crucial aspect (consider particular legal or financial services SEO), the ccTLD (e.g., example.de) may very well warrant the considerable technical and monetary investment. This is due to its unique local trust indication. As the search landscape continues to evolve, streamlining your domain structure is often beneficial for future flexibility.
For an up-to-date strategic understanding of traffic patterns and the evolution of search with the advent of AI, consult our examination on steering through the AI Overviews era.
Simply put, the domain structure is just the container. Genuine success hinges on localisation - utilising authentic native languages, maintaining strict clean URL practices, and implementing hreflang accurately. The structure positions you within the framework; the calibre of your performance determines your achievements in internationally.