_____ The importance of international digital PR

If your CEO is asking you to grow organic visibility in a new market, translating your site and targeting local keywords isn't enough. To compete, you need to build authority in that country.

To do this, you need to earn links and coverage from publications your target audience actually reads, which is where working with an experienced digital PR agency can help.

A natural backlink profile will include links from a range of different countries, and strong international publications still carry weight. But if you're targeting a specific market, links from trusted publications in that country should be a priority.

The focus should be on building relevance and authority where it actually matters for your growth. Let’s take a deep dive into what this looks like.

What do we mean by 'international links'?

International links are backlinks from publications outside your home market.

At a glance, this could include:

• Links from national publications in a target country
• Links from relevant regional publications
• Links from industry publications with an audience in that market
• Links pointing to the appropriate international or localised version of a website

For a UK business expanding into Germany, this might include links from national news sites, regional publications or trade titles read by German audiences - such as t-online, Bild or Die Welt, to name a few.

Those links might point to the brand’s main website, a German subfolder or specific commercial pages. It’s worth noting that a link doesn’t become useful just because it comes from another country’s domain. The publication, its audience, its relevance to your brand and the page receiving the link all need to make sense.

For instance, if the goal is to grow a specific market, links should support the pages responsible for that growth wherever possible, whether that is a country-specific domain, localised subfolder or priority commercial page.

Why are international links important?

International links play a key role in helping search engines understand where your brand is relevant and authoritative. When you’re targeting new markets, they help strengthen your backlink profile in those regions, support organic visibility for your key pages and put your brand in front of the right audiences.

They help build authority in your target market

Link building has traditionally focused on authority, but relevance plays an important role too. One factor in that is geographical - if you’re trying to grow in a specific country, links from authoritative publications in that market should form part of your backlink strategy.

This becomes especially important when entering a market where established competitors already have years of local coverage and stronger backlink profiles. If competitors are consistently earning links from the publications your target audience reads, that is an authority gap you need to understand. It also helps you work out where international digital PR investment is most likely to support growth.

They support your organic search visibility

International digital PR should support your wider SEO strategy - especially when you have invested in country-specific domains, localised subfolders or market-specific landing pages. These pages still need links and authority behind them if they are going to successfully compete.

The pages you focus on will depend on the market, the competitive gap and the commercial value of the traffic you are trying to grow. The important part is making sure digital PR activity supports the areas of the site you want to grow as a business.

They put your brand in front of relevant audiences

Coverage in local publications also puts your brand in front of people in the market you are targeting, which is just as important as the link itself.

A UK brand expanding into France, for example, will get more relevant exposure from a respected French publication than from coverage in a market where it has no presence or plans to grow.

The right media mix will differ by market, which is why a one-size-fits-all international PR strategy doesn’t work. In Spain, regional publications often play an important role in reaching audiences outside major cities, whereas in the US, national publications offer broad reach but are highly competitive, so campaigns often need a mix of national, niche and industry publications.

Different markets need different media strategies

In Spain, regional publications often play a bigger role in reaching audiences outside major cities, so campaigns that secure coverage in those titles can help brands reach a wider national audience.

In the US, national publications tend to have broader reach but are more competitive - as we explore further in our USA digital PR guide. Instead, activity often combines larger titles with niche or industry-specific sites to build both visibility and relevance.

Why international digital PR needs to be tailored to each market

Campaigns rarely translate directly from one market to another. What resonates with journalists and audiences in one country can fall flat elsewhere, even when the overall campaign may be strong.

Different markets have their own media landscapes, editorial priorities and audience interests, as outlined in our international digital PR playbook. Publications vary in format and tone, and journalists often look for stories that reflect local trends, data or cultural context.

Across international campaigns, earning links from authoritative domestic publications often supports organic growth - but the route to earning those links differs by market

Because of this, international digital PR should be planned with each market in mind rather than rolled out in the same way everywhere. Native local experience helps teams understand which publications are worth targeting, what journalists are interested in and how a campaign needs to be adapted to fit each market.

We have seen the impact of this approach across our own international digital PR campaigns. In the examples shared for France and Germany, the overall goal was similar - to strengthen authority and support organic growth. But the media targets, campaign angles and outreach approach differed by country.

International links should follow your wider growth strategy

Not every business needs links from every country, and trying to cover too many markets at once can dilute your overarching search strategy if you’re spreading activity too thin.

The markets you prioritise should reflect where your brand already operates, where it wants to grow and where there is a clear search opportunity.

For senior marketers and search teams, this is where prioritisation is crucial. International digital PR strategies need to follow the markets with the clearest growth opportunity, rather than splitting budget evenly across every country.

Before deciding where to focus, look at:

Which markets are core priorities for the business

Where there is relevant search demand

How your backlink profile compares with competitors

Which country-specific or commercial pages have the highest growth potential

Where there are realistic media coverage opportunities

With these priorities in place, your international digital PR strategy can focus on earning relevant coverage that directly supports your wider search and growth roadmap.

If you're unsure where to start or want a clearer picture of how your current backlink profile supports your international growth, an international link audit will help to prioritise these areas.

This can help identify gaps, highlight opportunities and give you a more focused strategy for building authority in the markets that are most important to your business.