International SEO is difficult at the best of times. Maintaining and, hopefully, growing organic search traffic through phased re-architecture and migration of multinational and multilingual organizations is even more complex. Together we’ll look at specific challenges and opportunities from recent complex project examples.

1. Managing
Multinational & Multilingual
Migrations in Motion

2. …is pretty bleak without you.
This room

3. Resilient, Resourceful, Creative, Ass-Kickers.
[That’s you!]
Multinational
Migrations
Who cares?

4. How to successfully manage the process
of a multinational/lingual migration.
This talk is really about

5. What is a Web Migration?

6. The Big 3 Changes Web Migrations
CMS or
Front-End Framework
WordPress -> Sitecore
HTML5 -> React.js
Back-End
Technology
.NET -> Python
IIS -> NGINX
Domain or
Sitewide URLs
www -> non-www
.co.uk -> .com
BIG 3
Changes
E.G.

7. Potential SEO Impacts Web Migrations
CMS or
Front-End Framework
• URL Changes
• Navigable Structure
• CDN
• SE Accessibility
• Speed
Back-End
Technology
• Redirect Tech
• XML Sitemap
Generation
• Log Files
Domain or
Sitewide URLs
• Authority of Domain
• Authority of Page
• Secure/Non-Secure
• KW Inclusion
BIG 3
Changes

8. Might look like this Web Migrations
NEWSAMEOLD
Product
Content
Pages
URLs
Languages
Geographies

9. Might look like this… Web Migrations
NEWOLD
Product
Content
Pages
URLs
Languages
Geographies
SAME

17. Migration MARVEL

18. Migration MAYHEM

19. 1. Lang/Geo Segmentation Method
2. Hreflang Management
3. Redirects & Capacity to Implement
4. Establish SEO as Priority
5. Sponsor Other Teams’ Wish Lists
Key Success Factors
for Multinational Migrations

20. Plan for Messy Lang/Geo URL Segmentation
expect mixed methods

21. Lang URL Segmentation Methods
Lang URL
Folder
Subdomain
TLD
cherrypize.com/fr/
(very rare)
fr.cherrypize.com

22. Lang URL
Folder
Subdomain
TLD
cherrypize.com/fr/
(very rare)
fr.cherrypize.com
Lang URL Segmentation Methods

23. They need to know
about language TLDs.
Lang URL Segmentation Methods

24. Language Location TLD Hreflang Description
Breton Brittany, France .bzh Yes For websites in the Breton language or about the
culture.
Catalan Catalonia, Spain .cat Yes For websites in the Catalan language or about the
culture.
Basque Basque, Spain & France .eus Yes For websites in the Basque language only.
Galician Galicia, Spain .gal Yes For websites in the Galician language or about the
culture.
Lang URL Segmentation Methods

25. Geo URL
Folder
Subdomain
TLD
cherrypize.com/ca/
cherrypize.ca
ca.cherrypize.com
Geo URL Segmentation Methods

26. Lang/Geo URL
Folder/Folder
Folder/ccTLD
Folder/Subdomain
cherrypize.com/fr-ca/
ca.cherrypize.com/fr/
cherrypize.ca/fr/
Subdomain/Folder
Subdomain/ccTLD
Subdomain/Subdomain
fr.cherrypize.com/ca/
fr-ca.cherrypize.com
fr.cherrypize.ca
Geo URL Segmentation Methods

27. Consider…
• IT Management & Maintenance
• Authority of Domain Consolidation
• Marketing & PR Resources
• Market-Level Analysis (the SERP data)
• Market-Level Awareness (local preferences)
• Business Needs
Geo URL Segmentation Methods

28. Tell them they don’t
get to pick just ONE
lang/geo method.

29. cherrypize.com/en-us/
cherrypize.com/en-au/
tartesauxcerize.ca/fr/
tartesauxcerises.fr
cherrypize.com/jp-jp/
cherrypize.com/es-mx/
France likes correct
spelling. TLD available. J
de.cherrypize.com
Germany team likes
the old CMS.
.com working okay in
some of our markets.
Our French market
prefers French.
Couldn’t get a TLD. L
Canadians don’t like to
shop on .coms.
Mixed Segmentation Methods

30. Plan for Hreflang Mapping Management
not just hreflang implementation

31. HTML Header Tags
XML Sitemap Attributes
Choose
One
Hreflang Publishing Methods

32. Capacity to Publish Hreflang ≠ Mappings Management
Hreflang Publishing Methods

33. Key Factors
Scenario: Phased Multinational Migration
30+ lang/geos to be deployed, one at a time, over 2 years.
Completely new IA, pages and URL structure.
Hreflang implementation deemed out-of-scope due to
mapping complexity.
Hreflang Issue
EXAMPLE

34. The challenge is NOT how hreflang is published.
The challenge is managing hreflang mappings.
Hreflang Issue
EXAMPLE

35. Our Solution:
Google Sheets to manage evolving mappings.
Google Apps Script to generate 30+ XML Sitemaps
with hreflang annotations.
Hreflang Issue
EXAMPLE

36. Step 1:
Build Mappings in Google
Sheets
Step 2:
Execute Apps Script
Hreflang Issue
EXAMPLE

37. Step 3:
Tada!
Hreflang Issue
EXAMPLE

38. Test Redirect Implementation
especially when back-end tech is changing

39. Site-wide rules and settings.
Where handled (CDN, Client, Code/UI, Server).
Special handling for users/user-agents.
Redirects
New back-end tech? Find out:

40. Tell them how many times
your redirects have been
de-scoped at launch.
Redirects

41. Redirects
Post-Launch, Review Log Files to analyze
redirect behavior. Especially for GoogleBot.

42. Establish SEO as a Priority
organic search traffic is not a guarantee

43. Multinational Web Migrations
are
notorious
for
scope change.

44. ACMEvelo.fr
ACMEbike.fr
Scope Change
Last minute domain rebrand added to migration scope.
EXAMPLE

45. Scope Change
Last minute domain rebrand added to migration scope.
Migration
Enthusiastic SE Re-evaluation
Harsh Reality
Scope Change
EXAMPLE Scope Change
Last minute domain rebrand added to migration scope.
EXAMPLE

46. Get a seat at the boardroom table, and repeat..
What’s an SEO to do?
Organic search traffic is not a guarantee.
Talking about SEO is not the same as implementing SEO.
Organic search traffic is valid as a top priority in migration.

47. Organic search traffic is not a guarantee.
Show figures, values
and highlight risk

48. Sponsor Wish Lists of Other Teams
for additional SEO wins

49. Wish Lists
Multinational Migration

50. I wish. I wish…SEO
for
search
engine
friendly
URLs

51. • Better URL conventions
• Link-worthy, 10x content
• Consolidation (weak domains, duplicate content)
• Improved/more body copy
• JSON-LD
SEO Wish Lists
Multinational Migration

52. …everybody has a wish list.

53. Content
PR IT
CEO
Support…everybody has a wish list.

54. PR – media kit, campaigns moved on-site
Customer Support – Robust FAQ
Product – Better visibility for key products
Content – More input control in CMS
IT – Secure protocol (https)
Legal – Accessibility standards
Wish Lists
Multinational Migration
SEO
GOLD MINE

55. Key Takeaways

56. Plan for Messy Lang/Geo URL Segmentation
expect mixed methods

57. Plan for Hreflang Mapping Management
not just hreflang implementation

58. Test Redirect Implementation
especially when back-end tech is changing

59. Establish SEO as a Priority
organic search traffic is not a guarantee

60. Sponsor Wish Lists of Other Teams
for additional SEO wins