Internationalization
The Google Search Console Internationalization page shows if searchers abroad land on a page in their language, which markets grow and where rankings drift.
The Internationalization page of the Google Search Console module shows if people abroad land on a page in their language. It also shows which countries are opening up for you, and which searches rank differently from country to country. Pages in the wrong language lose these visitors.
Before you start
- Link a Google Search Console property to the domain. See Connect Google Search Console.
- Select Google Search Console > Internationalization in the sidebar.
- You do not need to set up languages. VitalSentinel detects the language of each page from its address, for example /de/ or a country domain.
Date range and filters on Internationalization
The dock has a date range (without compare) and filters. The language match covers the days of the range. The new markets and the drifting rankings compare the range with the same number of days before it.
| Field | What it narrows |
|---|---|
| Country | The countries, the pages with other-language clicks and the drifting queries |
| Page | The pages with other-language clicks |
| Page language | The pages with other-language clicks. Detected from the address |
| Query | The drifting queries |
| Clicks, Impressions | Each row's total in the report's own window |
The verdict always counts your whole site. When a filter is on, the page says "The verdict counts your whole site. The filters narrow the lists below."
Language match verdict
Searchers in each country usually expect certain languages. A click counts as aligned when the page it lands on is in one of them. The verdict on Internationalization says how many of your clicks land on a page in the searcher's language.
- On a site with several languages, it says, for example, "86% of clicks land on a page in the searcher's language". The line under it says, for example, "420 clicks went to a country that expects another language".
- On a site in one language, it says, for example, "Your site is in English only". It then gives the share of clicks from countries that expect another language, and adds "Fine if that is on purpose".
- If no page got enough clicks from a country that expects another language, the verdict says so.
The "?" icon of the verdict shows the other-language clicks by country. If the page finds nothing at all, it shows "No detectable locale variation".
Countries by impression growth and position
The Countries by impression growth and position card lists countries where your impressions grow fast but your ranking is still low. These are markets that are opening up for you, before they show in your totals. Build pages for these markets first. The highest score is first.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Country | The country. Click it to open the Overview filtered to that country |
| Growth | Impression growth between the previous period and the current period. "new" means no impressions before |
| Impressions | How often your site appeared for searchers in this country in the current period |
| Position | Average ranking in this country. 10 or better is page one. Over 30 is poor |
| Score | How much the country is worth winning. 100 is the biggest opportunity on this list |
The Score has three bands: 70 or more is Big opportunity, 40 to 69 is Worth doing, and below 40 is Smaller. Impressions count most, then how fast they grow (up to +500%), then how far the CTR is below your top 3 results.
The "?" icon of the card lists the rules for a country to show: the impression growth, the minimum impressions and the position range. It also warns that some markets may be under sanctions or trade limits. Check with legal before investing.
When new markets need more history
The new markets compare two equal halves. If the earlier half has no data yet, the card shows "Needs 56 days of Search Console history" (the number depends on your date range). This occurs when you linked the property recently.
Other-language pages and drifting rankings
Under the countries, Internationalization has two more tables.
Pages getting other-language clicks
This table lists pages that got clicks from a country that expects another language. Add a translation for the biggest ones.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Page | The page the searcher landed on |
| Visitor from | The country the searcher was in |
| Country expects | The language searchers in that country usually expect. "Unknown" when it is not known yet |
| Page language | The language of the page, detected from its address |
| Clicks | Clicks from that country to this page in the window |
A chip after the page language shows how sure the detection is. From domain means the language came from a country domain. Guessed means it is a guess from your default language. No chip means an explicit prefix such as /de/.
Hide homepage paths is on by default. It hides the site root (/) and language homepages like /en. These entry points catch cross-language traffic and hide real translation gaps deeper in the site.
Rankings drifting between countries
This table looks at your 100 busiest searches by clicks. It lists the searches that held their worldwide ranking while countries moved apart. Check the page for the countries where it dropped.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Query | The search. Each row adds up its clicks across countries |
| Change worldwide | The change in the worldwide average position. A plus means you rank worse |
| Movement by country | The change in rank per country, in positions. Green means you rose, red means you dropped |
Troubleshooting
Why does Internationalization say my site is in one language only?
VitalSentinel found only one page language in your addresses. If your site has other languages, use a clear prefix in the address, for example /de/ or /fr/, or a country domain.
Why does the Countries card say it needs more history?
The new markets compare the current period with the period before it. If the earlier period has no Google Search Console data, wait until the history is long enough, or select a shorter range.
Why does a page show "Guessed" as its language?
The address of the page has no language prefix and no country domain. VitalSentinel then uses your default language. Add a language prefix to make the detection sure.
Why is a country with sanctions in the list?
The list shows all countries with growing impressions. Some markets may be under sanctions or trade limits. Check with legal before you invest in them.
Related
- Overview - the Countries table and the Country filter
- Opportunities - searches where you can win more clicks
- Audience - countries and browser languages of your visitors
- Site Health overview - issues for wrong-language pages and growing markets
- Connect Google Search Console - link a property to the domain
Clusters
The Google Search Console Clusters page groups your searches by topic and compares the sections of your site, so you see which subjects win or lose clicks.
Performance & engagement
The Google Search Console Performance & engagement page checks if slow pages, or pages that visitors leave fast, get fewer Google clicks.
