Guide to online internationalization: growing with your website or webshop abroad

2. Market research & market selection

Successful international expansion starts with thorough market research. Before launching your website or webshop in a new country, it is important to understand the market opportunities, local consumers and competition. This chapter covers the key steps and points of interest, including practical tips for keyword research and determining market priorities.

2.1. Market potential: demand, language, competition

Determining market potential is the first step in online internationalization. Important factors are:

• Ask for your product or service in the target country
• The language in which customers communicate
• Market competition

For a webshop, it is crucial to understand how many people are searching for products like yours. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, Google Trends and even ChatGPT can help gather data on search volumes, trends and competitive terms.

For example: a Dutch toy shop selling plush cuddly toys sees in ChatGPT that "plush bear" is common. But a human check is essential: in the targeted country, people might search for "teddy bear" or a local synonym. Thus, it becomes clear that you have to use your own knowledge and insight in addition to data analysis. This is especially true when you need to translate words into other languages: keywords, synonyms and regional terms can vary widely.

It is therefore recommended to use a mix of automatic tools and human control. Keyword research gives an initial picture, but fine-tuning and localization is crucial. This is where Clonable s partners who have experience with international markets and localization can help. They can advise on the right terms and synonyms in the local language, even if you don't speak that language yourself.

In addition to search volumes, it is also important to analyze competition. Look at which companies are active in the market, which keywords they use, which products are popular and how they position their prices. This will help you assess where your opportunities lie and how you stand out.

2.2. Cultural differences & consumer behavior

Cultural factors are often decisive in international expansion. What works in the Netherlands may be perceived differently in Germany, Spain or Italy. Consider:

• Colors and visual elements: some colors have different emotional connotations
• Marketing style: direct vs. subtle promotion
• Product names: understandable and appealing to local consumers

An example: a campaign that in the Netherlands uses "Buy now!" may come across as too aggressive in Spain. Local adjustments allow for higher conversions and a better brand experience. By researching cultural differences in advance, you can tailor content and marketing to target audiences.

2.3. Legal / political / economic risks by country

When internationalizing, you have to take into account local laws and regulations. Important points of interest are:

• Taxes and import duties
• Privacy legislation, such as GDPR in Europe
• Consumer protection and return rules
• Political and economic stability

It is wise to research these aspects in advance through reliable sources such as the Chamber of Commerce, RVO or local chambers of commerce. This way you can avoid legal problems and create a strategy that minimizes risks.

2.4. Pricing strategy and purchasing power

Pricing strategy depends on local purchasing power, competition and currency. A product that sells well in the Netherlands for €50 may be too expensive or too cheap in another country. Analyze competitors and compare prices to determine what is realistic.

Shipping costs, import duties and taxes also affect the final price. Consider margin and customer satisfaction when setting your prices. A well-executed pricing strategy contributes to successful conversions in new markets.

2.5. Keyword research for international markets

A crucial part of market research is keyword research. With this, you find out what terms consumers use to find products, both in your own language and in the target language. Recommended methods:

• Tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest for search volumes, trends and competitive analysis
• Google Trends for seasonal search trends
• ChatGPT or other AI tools for initial suggestions and synonyms
• Manual checking and fine-tuning: checking synonyms and local terms with human knowledge

Example: ChatGPT shows "plush bear" as a relevant keyword for a toy store. However, local consumers are more likely to search for "teddy bear." This shows that **human control is essential**: automated tools give a starting point, but fine-tuning ensures that you really connect with the market. For multilingual keywords, this can mean looking for translations and synonyms in languages you don't speak yourself. This is where Clonable s experienced partners can help.

2.6. Market selection and prioritization

After gathering data on demand, cultural preferences, legislation, price and keywords, you can select and prioritize markets. Start with the countries where the threshold is low and the potential high. For a European webshop, this might mean testing neighboring countries first before expanding further.

Clonable can play a practical role here: making it technically possible to quickly launch a new language or country version of your website. This way, you can test markets without large development costs and immediately learn which products and keywords work best locally.

2.7. Advice for entrepreneurs

A structured approach to market research and market selection is essential. Combine quantitative data (search volumes, competition, purchasing power) with qualitative insights (cultural preferences, legislation, customer behavior). Always perform human verification, especially for keywords and localization. This creates a complete picture that allows you to make strategic choices.

Carrying out this phase carefully will increase the chances of your international expansion being successful. It forms the basis for all subsequent steps in this handbook, from website structure and localization to marketing, fulfillment and customer service.

3. Legal & compliance

One of the most important aspects of online internationalization is complying with local laws and regulations. Legal errors can lead to fines, reputational damage or blockages in a new market. Still, it is important to know that in many cases you can also start and deal with many legal issues later, once you actually get visitors or sales in a new country. This helps spread costs and test faster.

3.1. General laws and regulations

When going international, European and international laws apply in addition to local regulations. Important aspects are:

• Privacy legislation (e.g. GDPR in Europe)
• Consumer rights and return policy
• Taxes, import duties and invoicing
• Trade and contract laws

It is crucial to research in advance what rules apply in the country where you want to become active. Nevertheless, many companies can start first with a minimal set of legal pages and only expand when there is actual traffic and orders. This way you can spread the cost of set-up and test whether the market is interesting enough before having all the documents fully drafted.

3.2. Country-specific obligations

In addition to general rules, there are often country-specific requirements. A well-known example is Germany, where every website must have a valid Impressum. This is a page containing company data, contact information and legal liabilities. Without an Impressum, a German website can be fined or temporarily taken offline.

In many cases, however, you can start with your site and complete the Impressum at a later date, once the first visitors or customers actually interact. Clonable is currently working on tools that will make this easier. You can inquire about how far this functionality has been developed for your situation via the contact page.

3.3. Consumer protection & conditions

International consumers have rights that you must respect as a webshop, such as clear return conditions, delivery times and warranty. This information should be available in the local language and easy to find. Still, you can often start with a basic version of these pages and add to and optimize them later when you actually receive orders.

3.4. Taxes & invoicing

Each market has its own rules for VAT, import duties and invoicing. Processing taxes correctly is essential, but for smaller test phases you can sometimes start with a simplified setup and adjust later once your sales show that the market is interesting. Clonable helps with the technical side of setting up country-specific pages and content, so you can easily make updates without having to rebuild the technical base.

3.5. Privacy & cookies

Privacy laws vary from country to country. In Europe, GDPR is leading, but some countries have additional rules for cookies and data collection. You can start with a simple privacy statement and cookie options, and change them extensively later once you get more visitors. Clonable can help synchronize this content to multiple languages and countries, making updates easy and consistent.

3.6. Advice for entrepreneurs

Legal compliance and compliance is an ongoing process. It is important to know that you can take care of many issues later. Start with a minimal set of obligations and expand them once there is actual traffic and orders in new markets. Tools like Clonable can take a lot of work off your hands in maintaining legal content and synchronization, while you can take care of human fine-tuning and additional local adjustments yourself.

Do you have specific questions about how Clonable can help with legal compliance in new markets? Then check out the contact page and inquire about how far the tools have been developed for your needs.

4. CMS & technical infrastructure

One of the most critical aspects of online internationalization is the technical infrastructure of your website or webshop. Your CMS determines how easily you can set up multiple languages or country versions, how well you can synchronize content and how scalable your site is. In this chapter, we discuss the main CMSs, the challenges of internationalization and the role of Clonable.

4.1. General overview CMS & internationalization

The choice of CMS determines how quickly and easily you can set up an international website. Important aspects to consider:

• Support for multilingual content and localization
• Possibilities for subdomains, subfolders or new domains by market
• Scalability and speed with multiple countries
• Technical complexity and availability of integrations

In many cases, you can technically already start with a CMS and use Clonable to quickly add new countries or languages. Some legal pages or local fine-tuning can be taken care of later, once there are actual visitors and sales in the new country.

4.2. WordPress / WooCommerce

WordPress is the most widely used CMS worldwide and is often combined with WooCommerce for e-commerce. Benefits for internationalization:

• There are many plugins available such as WPML, Polylang and TranslatePress. And of course, Clonable also works well with these.
• Large community and many tools and support available
• Relatively easy to use and quick to set up

Challenges:

• Multilingual sites become extremely slow with most plugins when there is a lot of content
• Configuration of multilingual sites is often enormously difficult, especially if many other plugins are built in and/or customizations have been implemented.

Clonable can help by automatically copying existing pages to new language or country versions and keeping updates in sync. This way, marketing and content teams need to worry less about technical duplication and can focus on localization. You can often start with a basic setup already and do the multilingual fine-tuning later, depending on the number of visitors and priority of the market.

4.3. Magento

Magento is a powerful platform for medium and large-sized webshops. It offers extensive features for internationalization, such as multi-store setups and advanced pricing and tax configurations.

Advantages:

• Flexibility for multiple countries, languages and currencies
• Powerful e-commerce functionalities
• Expandable with plugins and customization

Challenges:

• Higher complexity and often higher development costs
• Synchronizing content and updates between stores can be complicated

Clonable currently supports Magento with a special plugin and can help automatically clone content so that updates and marketing materials remain consistent across multiple markets. As with WordPress, you can start with a basic setup and add legal and local fine-tuning later.

4.4. Shopware

Shopware is popular in Germany and Europe for medium-sized and large online shops. The platform offers good support for multilingual sites and international e-commerce.

Advantages:

• Advanced international features such as multi-store and multilingual content
• Flexible content and marketing opportunities

Challenges:

• More complex setup than WordPress/WooCommerce, for example
• Synchronization across multiple markets requires customization or additional tools

Clonable can copy Shopware websites and keep updates in sync, allowing content teams to serve new markets faster. A special plugin has been created for it to make the Shopware multilingual shop the best it can be. As with other CMSs, it is often possible to technically start already and add certain legal pages or local fine-tuning later.

4.5. Drupal

Drupal is a powerful CMS that offers great flexibility for complex websites and portals. It supports multilingual content through modules such as Internationalization and Content Translation.

Advantages:

• Robust and scalable for large websites
• Extensive options for content structure and access levels

Challenges:

• Higher technical complexity than WordPress
• More development time needed for international configuration

Clonable can help duplicate pages to new countries or languages so that content remains consistent. This saves development time and allows you to test markets faster, while legal and local adjustments can be done later.

4.6. Shopify

Shopify is popular because of its user-friendliness and fast setup of webshops. Clonable is currently working on support for Shopify, but this functionality is not yet fully available. If you use Shopify, you can deploy Clonable once the tools are live, but for now, technical duplication of countries/sites can be done manually or through other integrations.

Please note that for Shopify setups, Clonable does not yet offer perfect support. In such cases, it is often wiser to perform technical duplication only after it has been really well tested first.

4.7. Other PHP-based systems

For other PHP-based CMSs (such as custom PHP web sites), Clonable can often help in automatically copying pages and content to new countries. Benefits:

• Full control over code and structure
• Flexibility in international setup

Challenges:

• Depending on the complexity of the system, customization may be required
• Synchronization of updates sometimes requires additional development

As with other CMSs, you can often start already and add additional features later once there are actual visitors or sales. This helps spread costs and test new markets faster.

4.8. Headless CMS & React / Next / Nuxt

Headless CMSs and frameworks such as React, Next.js and Nuxt offer maximum flexibility and speed, but present technical challenges for internationalization. Clonable does not currently support these setups. It is therefore advisable to exercise caution with headless sites and establish a solid technical foundation before attempting international duplication.

For companies looking to use headless, start small, test one or two markets and only plan full scale expansion after initial results are positive.

4.9. Advice for entrepreneurs

Choosing the right CMS and planning international infrastructure is a balance between technical capabilities, budget and speed. Key advice:

• Use a CMS that supports multilingual content well
• Test new markets technically first with basic pages and content
• Use Clonable to keep duplication and updates in sync
• Local fine-tuning and legal pages can in many cases be arranged later, once visitors and sales show that the market is interesting
• Be careful with headless setups or Shopify, where Clonable does not yet fully support

This approach allows you to quickly test markets, spread costs and scale up step by step without having to have everything perfectly organized from day one.

5. Website structure & domain selection

A crucial decision in online internationalization is how to set up the structure of your website or webshop. Do you opt for subdomains, subfolders or completely new domains? Each option has advantages and disadvantages in terms of SEO, branding, management and scalability. In this chapter, we cover the three main models and give advice, including how Clonable can support you in this.

5.1. Subdomains (e.g. de.example.com)

Subdomains are separate sections of your main site, such as the.example.com for Germany. Advantages include clear separation of markets and flexibility in technical settings (such as hosting or servers per region).

Advantages:

• Clear separation by market
• Technically flexible (separate servers or settings possible)
• Can be useful if teams work autonomously by country

Dezavantajlar:

• SEO value is spread across multiple subdomains
• More complex management: multiple properties in Google Search Console
• Can be confusing for users (not always clear that it is the same organization)

With Clonable, you can easily duplicate a subdomain and automatically offer the content in another language. This way you maintain consistency and prevent subdomains from getting out of sync.

5.2. Subfolders (e.g. example.com/de/)

Subfolders are language or country versions within the same domain, such as example.com/de/. This is often the most recommended option for SEO, as it retains all the authority of the main domain.

Advantages:

• Strong SEO: domain value is consolidated
• Easy to manage from a single CMS installation
• Consistent branding: one domain name for all markets

Dezavantajlar:

• Less flexibility for separate server settings per country
• Can be technically tricky for large webshops with many countries

Clonable works very well with subfolders because duplication and synchronization within the same domain are efficient and scalable. Moreover, legal pages and local content can be added later, without breaking the structure.

5.3. New domains (e.g. example.de)

A separate domain name per country (such as example.de or example.fr) can be interesting if you want to focus strongly on local branding or trust. For example, many consumers in Germany prefer a .de domain.

Advantages:

• Strong local trust and brand perception
• Ability to provide full customization per country
• Flexible with different business entities by market

Dezavantajlar:

• SEO value is spread across multiple domains
• Management is more complex: maintaining multiple domains
• Higher costs (hosting, SSL certificates, management)

Clonable also supports new domains and can automatically generate the basic content for each domain. This makes it easier to spread costs: you start with a cloned base and only add local optimization later, when there is actual traffic and sales.

5.4. Hreflang and SEO structure

Regardless of which structure you choose, it is crucial to implement hreflang tags correctly. These tags tell search engines which language version or country version of a page to display. Without hreflang, Google can index incorrect versions, leading to loss of traffic or duplicate content problems.

Clonable ensures that hreflang tags are automatically added correctly when cloning sites. This saves time and reduces the chance of errors. However, it is still important to periodically check manually that everything is working properly.

5.5. Hybrid solutions

Some companies use a combination of the above structures. For example: subfolders for European markets and separate domains for large markets like the U.S. or China. This can be a good middle ground, but does increase complexity.

With hybrid setups, it is even more important to monitor consistency in content and SEO. Clonable can play a role here by automatically propagating updates from the main domain to all variants.

5.6. Advice for entrepreneurs

The choice of website structure depends on your goals, budget and market focus. Some practical advice:

• For quick international testing: use subfolders or subdomains, in combination with Clonable.
• For markets where local trust is crucial (such as Germany or France): consider separate domains.
• Start simple and expand as your traffic and sales grow. Many things you can professionalize later as well.
• Always ensure correct hreflang implementation to avoid SEO problems.

With Clonable, you can support any structure and quickly launch new markets without having to build from scratch. This makes it possible to spread costs and grow step by step.

6. Localization

Successful international expansion requires more than just translating your website. Localization means adapting your entire online presence to the language, culture, preferences and expectations of a specific market. This chapter shows why this is so important, the components involved, and how tools such as Clonable can greatly accelerate and simplify the process.

6.1. Language & translation

The first step in localization is obviously language. Yet there is a big difference between simple translation and true localization.

Automatic translation: Tools such as Clonable make it possible to translate an entire website at lightning speed. Clonable takes the context of the site into account beforehand, so that translations better match the tone-of-voice and target group of the webshop. This provides an immediate qualitative basis that is often better than standard translation scripts.

Proofreading & editing: Despite the high quality of Clonable's translations, in many cases it remains desirable to proofread texts. This can be done in two ways:

• Clonable Proofreading: an AI-based tool that automatically checks and optimizes texts for grammar, style and SEO efficiency.
• Manual native proofreaders: for content where nuances and cultural tone are decisive, such as product descriptions or marketing campaigns.

Human finetuning: A literal translation often sounds unnatural and can miss important nuances. Local copywriters or native speakers are therefore essential to establish your brand credibly. Consider small details: in Germany, a plush bear is always a Teddybär, and that is not the same as the literal translation.

Advice: Start with Clonables machine translation to go live quickly and save costs. Then add proofreading or human corrections on the most important pages (homepage, product pages, checkout, legal content). This way you benefit from both speed and quality.

6.2. Cultural nuances

Language is only one aspect of localization. At least as important are cultural differences:

• Images & Photography: What looks modern in the Netherlands may appear cold or distant in Asia.
• Humor & tone of voice: Humor often does not work across borders. A funny slogan can be offensive in another culture.
• Colors & Symbols: Colors have different meanings (white stands for mourning in China, while in Europe it symbolizes purity).
• Holidays & seasons: Actions around St. Nicholas are useless in Germany; there you have to bet on Advent and Christmas.

So localization also means aligning your content planning and visual style with local customs. Clonable ensures that basic content remains uniform, then local teams or partners can add cultural sophistication.

6.3. Currency and payment methods

An important part of customer confidence is that visitors can pay in their own currency and via their preferred payment method. A Frenchman likes to pay with Carte Bancaire, a German with Sofort or SEPA, and Dutch with iDEAL. If you don't offer these options, customers often drop out immediately.

Clonable's role: Although Clonable does not offer payment methods itself, it can customize the interface and content (e.g. currency symbols, texts in checkout). Technical integration often requires payment providers or your CMS, but with the right combinations you can make the customer experience completely local.

6.4. Legal Localization

Localization is also about legal obligations. In Germany an Impressum is mandatory, in France a site must be available in French, and in some countries you have to explicitly show VAT numbers. It is not always necessary to have all these documents perfect from day one. You can often start with a basic structure and expand it later as traffic grows.

Clonable is working on tools to make this easier: standard templates for Impressum and privacy statements that automatically scale with your translated content. Want to know how far developed this is? Check out the contact page.

6.5. Keywords & SEO localization

Search behavior varies greatly by country and language. A simple example: where Dutch people search for running shoes, a German might use Laufschuhe and a Belgian might use running shoes. Therefore, keyword research per country is essential.

Tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, Google Trends and even ChatGPT can help find relevant keywords. Still, human control is essential: an AI can translate plush bear, but the right term for your target audience might be teddy bear or teddy bear. Local partners (with whom Clonable collaborates) can check and improve this.

Practical advice: Start with an automated keyword set, test it in Google Ads or organic SEO, and then improve based on data and feedback from the market. Then use proofreading or native experts to strategically incorporate keywords into titles, metas and product descriptions.

6.6. Customer service & support

Localization does not stop with the website; customers also expect support in their own language. This can be via email, chat or phone. In the initial phase, you can keep this small, for example by having a basic FAQ and automatic translation of emails. Later, you can expand with local employees or partners.

Clonable can help by directly co-translating your support pages and keeping them up-to-date, so that you already provide a reliable foundation with minimal effort.

6.7. Advice for entrepreneurs

Localization is not a one-time action, but an ongoing process. Our advice:

• Start small: use Clonable for quick translations and initial market validation.
• Then add human finetuning on important content.
• Note culture, currency, payment methods and legal obligations for each country.
• Spread costs: start with minimal localization and only expand it when traffic and revenue are there.
• Use Clonable Proofreading or a native proofreader to further optimize your texts for style, tone-of-voice and SEO once you have initial traction.

By making smart use of automation (such as Clonable) and later adding local expertise, you can grow quickly and sustainably in new markets.

7. Crossborder e-commerce

Whereas the first chapters were mainly about strategy, technology and localization, this chapter covers the practice of international selling: crossborder e-commerce. It deals with the crucial components of international payments, logistics, shipping and returns. These are the topics that determine whether or not a customer in a new country will buy from you - and whether that customer will return satisfied.

7.1. International payment processing

Payment is one of the most sensitive parts of crossborder e-commerce. Customers expect to be able to checkout using a method they know and trust. If they can't, they often drop out immediately.

Local preferences:

• Netherlands: iDEAL
• Germany: SEPA, Klarna, Sofortüberweisung
• France: Carte Bancaire, PayPal
• United Kingdom: credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay
• China: Alipay, WeChat Pay

In addition, it is important that customers can pay in their own currency. Nobody wants to see converted amounts in foreign currency during checkout. That feels unsafe and lowers conversion.

Practical advice: Work with international payment service providers (PSPs) such as Adyen, Mollie or Stripe. They often offer dozens of local payment options from a single integration.

Clonable's role: Clonable takes the translation of your checkout and payment screens, including currency symbols and related texts. This ensures that the customer has a consistent, familiar experience. The technical processing of payments lies with your PSP, but Clonable makes sure everything looks local and presented correctly.

Mini-case: H&M in Germany noticed that German customers were dropping out en masse if post-payment (Rechnung/Klarna) was not available. Adding this option increased conversion by more than 20%. Lesson: always offer the payment options that are standard locally - even if they seem to give you as a seller some extra risk.

7.2. Fulfillment and logistics

After a successful payment comes the next challenge: shipping products to customers in different countries. This is where cost, speed and reliability play a major role.

Options for fulfillment:

• Own distribution: You ship from your own warehouse. Good for small volumes or test phases, but often expensive and slow to ship abroad.
• Local partners: You work with logistics hubs or fulfillment centers abroad. This reduces shipping costs and delivery times.
• International players: Large players like Amazon FBA or DHL Fulfillment can provide global distribution, but often cost more.

Which option is best depends on your strategy. In a test phase, you can often start shipping from your home country, even if it is slower or more expensive. Once sales pick up, you can switch to local hubs.

Clonable's role: Clonable allows you to easily display country-specific shipping options and delivery times on your website. For example, a German customer sees that shipping takes 3 days and costs €5.95, while a Dutch customer expects delivery within 1 day.

Mini-case: A small Dutch furniture shop started simply with shipping from the Netherlands. When German demand increased, they engaged a local Fulfillment center in Cologne. This reduced delivery time from 5 to 2 days and led to more repeat purchases. Lesson: start pragmatic, scale up later. Clonable, meanwhile, can translate your site and customize shipping info by country.

7.3. Shipping costs and delivery times

International customers want upfront clarity about shipping costs and delivery times. Hidden costs lead to frustration and abandonment in the checkout.

Tips:

• Always communicate shipping costs transparently on product and checkout pages.
• Offer free shipping from a certain order amount, including internationally.
• Work with reliable carriers known in the target country (e.g., DPD in Germany, Colissimo in France).

Again, you don't have to have everything perfect from day one. Start with a simple shipping structure and expand later with local partners. Clonable helps by making this information instantly available multilingually and by country.

Mini-case: Zalando clearly communicates the delivery time and return options for each country on the product page. This creates trust and prevents disappointment in the checkout. Lesson: be transparent, even if your delivery time is a bit longer in the test phase.

7.4. Returns and customer confidence

Return policy is a decisive factor in crossborder e-commerce. In countries like Germany, the return culture is very strong; customers feel free to order three sizes and return two.

Important elements of return policies:

• Clear communication in the local language
• Free or low-cost return options
• Simple instructions and labels

A flexible return policy can seem costly, but often yields more conversion and customer confidence. If necessary, start with a basic solution (customer pays return itself) and expand it later as your sales volumes increase.

Clonable's role: Return conditions and instructions are often long, legal texts. Clonable automatically translates and maintains them in all languages, so you maintain consistency and make changes easily.

Mini-case: About You in Germany discovered that free returns are essential for German customers. They built this directly into their proposition, even though it involved higher costs. The higher conversion more than compensated. Lesson: returns are sometimes an investment in trust and growth.

7.5. VAT and import duties

When selling crossborder, you have to deal with tax regulations, such as VAT payments in EU countries and import duties outside the EU. Since July 2021, the OSS (One Stop Shop) rules apply in the EU, allowing you to remit VAT centrally for all EU countries.

Practical:

• For sales within the EU: using OSS
• Outside the EU: consider import duties and customs documents
• Make sure prices are shown inclusive of VAT, depending on the country

Role of Clonable: Clonable does not handle VAT calculations or price adjustments per country. What it can do: automatically keep VAT-related texts, conditions and legal passages multilingual and up-to-date. This prevents inconsistency in communication and the customer always knows where he stands. For the technical price display and VAT handling, you work together with your webshop software and/or a tax consultant.

Mini-case: A Dutch cosmetics shop expanding into Switzerland had to deal with import duties. In the beginning, they did not communicate this clearly, so customers were surprised with extra costs upon delivery. After they mentioned this explicitly in their shop, the number of successful orders increased by 15%. Lesson: clarity outweighs low cost. Clonable can make that communication multilingual and consistent.

7.6. Local legislation & logistics

Every country has its own rules around consumer rights, packaging and returns. Think of recycling logos on packaging in Germany (VerpackG) or additional requirements around electrical appliances.

Many entrepreneurs fear that this is a huge barrier. Still, you can start small here too: start with standard packages and add local commitments later once you have substantial traffic and sales. Clonable makes it easy to publish new legal texts and obligations immediately in all languages.

Mini-case: A toy webshop exporting to Germany was fined because they did not register their packaging under VerpackG. Only after working with a local partner could this be resolved. Lesson: check in advance the basic rules in each country. You don't have to regulate everything immediately, but be aware of the obligations.

7.7. Advice for entrepreneurs

Crossborder e-commerce sounds complex, but it is easy to approach step by step. Our advice:

• Start small: start shipping from your home country, even if it's slower.
• Offer the most important local payment methods from day one.
• Always communicate shipping costs and delivery times clearly and in the local language.
• Keep returns simple in the early stages and expand later with more customer-friendly solutions.
• Get your VAT and import duties handled professionally, but use Clonable to keep your customer communications about it error-free and multilingual.
• Don't be afraid to start pragmatically at first; professionalize as you go along.

By combining Clonable with good payment and logistics partners, you can greatly lower the threshold for international expansion and build a sustainable crossborder e-commerce model step by step.

8. Marketplaces

In addition to your own webshop, international marketplaces can play an important role in your expansion. These can be large platforms such as Amazon, eBay or Bol.com, but also specialized marketplaces that focus on specific niches. For webshops with unique or specialized products, such a niche platform can often be much more valuable than a general marketplace, because the target group is already present and competition is often lower.

8.1. Challenges in marketplaces

Some of the key points of interest in international marketplaces:

• Competition: Large marketplaces often have multiple providers of the same product, while niche marketplaces target a specific audience.
• Content consistency: Product titles, descriptions and images should match your brand and webshop.
• Translations: Many marketplaces require product information in the local language.
• Rules per country: Each marketplace has its own rules for product categories, shipping and returns.

8.2. Role of Clonable

Clonable can play an important role here by generating dynamic XML feeds of your webshop, both for large and niche marketplaces:

• All product information is automatically translated and formatted for the relevant marketplace platform, including niche platforms that have specific content requirements.
• The feed takes into account the context of your website and the translation rules you have set up, so that titles, descriptions and other content remain consistent with your brand.
• Users can make manual adjustments or fine-tune to further increase the quality of translations and product information, which is crucial for conversion especially with niche products.

This way, even niche platforms can be served effectively without having to manually do every translation or product update. More information on customizing XML feeds can be found in Clonables official documentation: https://kb.tr.clonable.net/en/en/customize/xml-feeds/

8.3. Advice for entrepreneurs

• Start with the marketplaces that best fit your product and target audience; test both large platforms and specialized/niche platforms.
• Use XML feeds from Clonable to make product information available consistently and translated across all platforms.
• Keep fine-tuning the feed and translation rules based on performance, local trends and keywords.
• Always keep your brand consistent, even on external platforms.

Using Clonable for XML feeds allows you to sell internationally faster, more efficiently and with higher quality through both large marketplaces and niche platforms, allowing you to reach new audiences without extra manual labor.

9. International SEO

International SEO is optimizing your website so that it is easily findable in different countries and languages. In 2025, this is no longer just a matter of translation: it's about localization, context-aware content and responding to cultural and search intent differences in your target market. A strong international SEO strategy helps make your brand globally visible and increase conversions.

9.1. Basics of international SEO

International SEO revolves around a number of core principles that determine whether your website ranks well in other countries:

9.1.1. Language and regional targeting

Choose a structure that clearly indicates which language or region the content is intended for:

• ccTLDs (e.g. .nl, .de) for country-specific authority.
• Subdomains (e.g., nl.jouwsite.com) or subfolders (e.g., jouwsite.com/en/) for language- or country-specific content.

9.1.2. Hreflang tags

Hreflang tags tell search engines which language version is relevant to which user. This way you avoid duplication and make sure visitors see the right content.

9.1.3. Local keywords

Keyword research is essential by language and region. Use tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, Google Trends or even ChatGPT as a starting point. Important: always finetune manually. For example, if you sell toys, ChatGPT may recommend "plush bear," but local search may make "teddy bear" more relevant. Consider synonyms and cultural nuances. Clonable partners can help with this analysis.

9.2. Localization vs. Translation

International SEO requires more than translation:

• Language: use local expressions, colloquialisms and keywords.
• Visual content: images and symbols should be culturally relevant.
• Product information: adapt product descriptions and units to local standards.

Clonable helps to automatically adopt context and translation rules from your site so that the content remains relevant to the local target audience. If desired, this can be proofread by native proofreaders or via Clonable Proofreading for additional quality control.

9.3. Technical SEO for multilingual websites

9.3.1. URL structure

Use a clear and consistent URL structure that reflects the language or region. This helps search engines with indexing and users with navigation.

9.3.2. Sitemaps

Include all language and region versions in your sitemap so that search engines correctly index the entire site.

9.3.3. Load times and mobile optimization

Fast loading times and mobile-friendliness are ranking factors and increase conversion, including internationally.

9.4. Content strategy and localization

9.4.1. Content creation

Work with native speakers or local experts. Make sure content matches culture, search intent and expectations of the target audience. Clonable can translate automatically, but human check is still needed for nuances.

9.4.2. Local user experience

Adapt the site to local customs: currency, payment methods, shipping options, contact options, and even color usage or typography can have an impact.

9.4.3. Local backlinks

Obtain backlinks from relevant local websites. This strengthens your site's authority in that country's search results.

9.5. The role of Clonable

Clonable supports international SEO by:

• Automatic translation of content, including contextualization by language.
• Maintain consistent brand and content structure.
• Generate multilingual XML feeds for marketplaces and product pages so that search engines and marketplaces always get up-to-date content.
• Clonable Proofreading option to automatically improve texts and check them SEO-focused.

9.6. Measurable results and optimization

Monitor performance with Google Analytics and Search Console by language/region. Notice:

• Traffic by country and language
• Bounce rates and time on page
• Conversions and revenue

Use this data to continuously optimize content, structure and technical SEO.

9.7. Cases and examples

Case 1: A Dutch toy webshop used Clonable to translate and contextually adapt product pages. By using local keywords and adapting titles (e.g. "teddy bear" instead of "plush bear"), visibility in Germany increased by 35%.

Case 2: A fashion brand integrated Clonable Proofreading and automated XML feeds. As a result, product pages were displayed consistently on both its own webshop and marketplaces, significantly increasing international sales.

9.8. Advice for entrepreneurs

• Always perform manual checks in addition to automatic translations.
• Keep in mind cultural differences in content, images and call-to-actions.
• Start with the most important markets and scale up step by step.
• Use Clonable for contextual translations, XML feeds and proofreading to ensure efficiency and quality.

International SEO is an ongoing process of optimization, localization and monitoring. With a strategic approach and the right tools, such as Clonable, you can make your website findable worldwide and increase conversions.

10. International SEA

In addition to organic findability, international SEA (Search Engine Advertising) is a powerful way to quickly generate visibility and traffic in new markets. SEA includes paid advertising in search engines such as Google, Bing and local search engines, and can also include display and shopping campaigns.

10.1. Strategy and market research

Before you begin, it is crucial to understand the market and competition:

• What keywords are relevant in the target country? Use local search answer tools and search engine suggestions.
• Which competitors are already advertising in this market?
• What are typical CPCs (cost per click) and ROI expectations?

Please note that search volumes, terms and intentions can vary greatly from country to country. For example, "plush bear" may be relevant in Germany, but "teddy bear" may convert better. This is where a human check is essential.

10.2. Campaign structure

For international SEA, it is best to set up separate campaigns by language or region:

• Create separate campaigns for each country so that you can optimize budget and bidding strategies for each market.
• Adgroups can be categorized by product category or search intent.
• Make sure ad copy and landing pages are consistent with local expectations and language.

10.3. Localization of ads

As with international SEO, localization is crucial for SEA:

• Do not translate ads literally; adapt them to local expressions, search terms and cultural nuances.
• Check that call-to-actions and offers resonate well with local audiences.
• Customize URLs and landing pages to fully reflect the language and culture of the market.

Role of Clonable: Clonable can help translate and make consistent landing pages, product descriptions and ad copy. This way, content used in SEA is always kept in line with the website and other channels, including context-aware translations and consistent brand image.

10.4. Shopping and dynamic ads

For web shops, Google Shopping and similar dynamic ads are important:

• Use product feeds optimized by country, including translations, prices and availability.
• Clonable can automatically translate product information and apply feed rules so that ads fit the country and target audience correctly and contextually.

10.5. Budgeting and optimization

International SEA can be costly. Therefore, start pragmatically:

• Test one or two markets first and scale based on performance.
• Monitor CPC, CTR and conversions by region accurately.
• Optimize ad copy and landing pages continuously based on data.

10.6. Advice for entrepreneurs

• Start small, focus on markets with potential and scale up only when the ROI is clear.
• Make sure landing pages are fully localized and consistent with advertisements.
• Use Clonable for consistent translations, context-aware landing pages and feed optimization.
• Keep testing and fine-tuning: local search intent can vary greatly from country to country, even within the same language.

Through a combination of strategic research, clear campaign structure, localization and the use of tools such as Clonable, you can effectively deploy international SEA to achieve fast traffic and conversions in new markets.

11. International branding & customer experience

International expansion is not just about SEO and SEA. Branding and customer experience are crucial to gaining trust in new markets and building loyal customers. This chapter covers strategies for brand consistency, local customization and using tools such as Clonable to manage this efficiently.

11.1. Brand consistency in multiple countries

A consistent brand identity is important, even when going international. Make sure that logo, colors, tone-of-voice and positioning remain recognizable in all countries. At the same time, some localization is often necessary to respect cultural differences.

• Translation and localization should match the tone-of-voice of your brand.
• Imagery should be culturally relevant but still recognizably fit your brand.
• Campaigns and promotions can vary by country, as long as the brand essence is maintained.

11.2. Local adjustments for trust

Local adjustments contribute to customer confidence in new markets:

• Currency and payment methods adapted to local preferences.
• Clearly communicate shipping information and return conditions by country.
• Make customer service available in the local language.
• Integrate local labels and certificates to show reliability.

11.3. Role of Clonable

Clonable can support here in several ways:

• Dynamically adjusting scripts: for example, per country, Clonable can easily add labels to the site, such as Trusted Shops in Germany or AFM certificates in the Netherlands.
• Keep content consistent: all translated and localized pages maintain brand identity, while local nuances can be easily implemented.
• Efficient updates: changes in branding, promotions or certificates only need to be made once in the central environment and are automatically applied per country.

11.4. Customer experience and support

An excellent customer experience increases conversions and customer loyalty. Some points of interest:

• Local customer service: chat, email and phone in the local language.
• Transparent information: clearly communicate shipping costs, delivery time and return policy.
• Trust signals: labels, reviews and certificates increase trust.
• Usability: optimize site navigation and checkout for local habits.

11.5. Advice for entrepreneurs

• Keep a balance between brand consistency and local adaptation: maintain core identity, but respect cultural differences.
• Use tools such as Clonable to make efficient dynamic updates, for example for labels, banners or other local content.
• Test customer experience in new markets and gather feedback to implement continuous improvement.
• Combine branding with SEO and SEA: consistent branding also helps with conversions and recognition in ads and search results.

By taking a strategic approach to branding and customer experience and using Clonable for dynamic customization, companies can build trust faster in new markets, maintain brand consistency and provide a positive user experience.

12. Personnel & Organization in internationalization

Human resources play a crucial role in international expansion. This is not only about hiring employees, but also about organization, workflow and knowledge sharing within the company. In this chapter, we discuss how to shape your human resources strategy as a start-up or growing company.

12.1. Start-up phase: do it yourself or minimal support

When you are just starting out in a new market, it is often not necessary to have a full team abroad right away. A pragmatic approach can help spread costs:

• Start by managing the international webshop from headquarters.
• Hire freelancers or local partners for specific tasks such as translations, customer service or marketing campaigns.
• Use tools like Clonable to save time on content management, translations and dynamic updates, allowing your staff to focus on strategic tasks.

12.2. Growth: expanding team by country

As international operations grow, it may be necessary to hire local staff:

• Customer support: native speakers increase customer satisfaction and trust.
• Marketing: local knowledge for campaigns, social media and SEA/SEO optimization.
• Logistics and operations: coordination of shipments, fulfillment and returns.

Here it is useful to standardize processes and automate as much as possible. For example, Clonable can automatically handle translations and dynamic content, leaving the local team more time for strategic work.

12.3. Organization and workflow

A clear structure helps avoid miscommunication and inefficiency:

• Define roles and responsibilities by market.
• Use project management tools to keep track of workflows and tasks.
• Ensure clear communication between headquarters and local teams.
• Automate repetitive tasks such as content updates, translations and feed management whenever possible.

12.4. Advice for entrepreneurs

• Start small and scale the team only when market volume and sales justify it.
• Use local freelancers or partners to procure expertise without fixed costs.
• Invest in automation of translations, content and feeds with Clonable to take the burden off the team.
• Document processes and workflows so that expansion into new markets goes more smoothly.

By aligning staffing strategies with the phase of internationalization and using automation intelligently, companies can control costs, ensure quality and efficiently support their international growth.

13. Website maintenance & workflow: the role of Clonable

When expanding internationally, website maintenance is one of the biggest challenges. Every update, change or addition must be implemented consistently across all language versions and markets. Without proper workflow, outdated content is created, which can have negative effects on SEO, UX and conversions. In this chapter, we discuss how to keep updates in sync, keep language versions up-to-date, deploy automation and perform quality control.

13.1. How updates & content changes stay in sync

Any change on the main page or product page must be implemented in all language versions. This can be done manually, but it is error-prone and time-consuming. Some practical tips:

• Centralize content management through a single CMS or platform.
• Document all changes and updates so that local teams can follow up on them.
• Use workflow tools to automatically forward translations to the appropriate countries.
• Clonable can automatically synchronize translations and make dynamic updates per country, so you don't have to do every change manually.

13.2. Keeping language versions up-to-date; avoiding outdated content

Outdated content can cause SEO damage and lead to an inconsistent brand experience:

• Automatic notification of changes to the source content.
• Clonable ensures that translations and local versions remain consistent with the source, including product descriptions, blog articles and landing pages.
• Perform periodic audits to detect outdated content.

13.3. Tools & automation (such as Clonable).

Automation saves time and reduces errors:

• Clonable offers dynamic content updates, including translations and XML feeds for shopping campaigns.
• Workflow integrations such as CMS plug-ins, notifications and automatic translation workflows increase efficiency.
• Automatic synchronization prevents updates in one language from not being implemented in other markets.

13.4. Quality control: translations, SEO, UX by market

Even with automation, human quality control remains crucial:

• Check translations for cultural nuances, terminology and tone-of-voice.
• SEO check: optimize meta descriptions, title tags, headers and internal links by language.
• UX testing: assessing navigation, forms and call-to-actions by market.
• Clonable's proofreading functionality helps automatically check translations, but manual review remains important.

Through a structured workflow, automation via Clonable and regular quality control, you can keep international websites effectively maintained and consistent.

14. Branding & brand consistency internationally

14.1. Positioning: global brand versus local nuances

An international brand must remain both recognizable and relevant to local markets. Global core values and mission remain unchanged, while local nuances tailor the message to culture and expectations.

14.2. Customize brand tone-of-voice by culture

Adapt tone-of-voice to local preferences: formal versus informal, use of humor, metaphors and colloquialisms. Clonable can take the context of your website to match translations to the target audience.

14.3. Visual identity: adaptation of visuals by region

Color use, graphics and icons can have cultural effects. Dynamic adjustments via Clonable allow visuals to be adjusted by region without losing brand recognition.

14.4. Consistency in messaging & customer journey

Make sure all touchpoints are consistent: website, ads, email campaigns and social media. Clonable helps with consistent translations and dynamic content updates so that the brand experience remains the same everywhere.

15. Finance & ROI Analysis

15.1. Cost estimation of internationalization (development, marketing, logistics)

Calculate all costs carefully, including CMS modifications, translations, marketing campaigns and logistics. Clonable can efficiently provide translations and content updates, lowering development costs.

15.2. Expected sales growth by country / scenario analysis

Create conservative, realistic and optimistic scenarios based on market research, competitive analysis and historical data.

15.3. Risks & buffer / worst-case scenarios

Budget for unexpected costs and market risks. Automation through Clonable can help reduce operational risks and time investment.

15.4 KPIs & measurement tools for success

Define KPIs such as traffic, conversions, average order value and ROI by market. Use analytics tools combined with Clonable for consistent and up-to-date data across all markets.

16. Case studies & best practices

16.1. Examples of companies that used Clonable

Clonable has helped several companies expand efficiently into international markets. Some concrete examples:

• Spark Narrowcasting: quickly launched German and English language versions, increased international visibility.
• PSV Eindhoven: quickly published new content in multiple languages, better cater to international fans.
• Die Bewerbungsschreiber: doubled SEO performance in Austria and Switzerland with dynamic content updates.
• Jaarbeurs: improved accessibility for non-Dutch-speaking visitors through efficient translation and localization.
• Gogetters: quickly enter new markets with multilingual website, increase reach and conversion.

16.2. Success factors & what you better not do

Key success factors in internationalization with Clonable:

• Consistent brand experience: brand identity remains uniform across all countries.
• Efficiency: automatic synchronization saves time and reduces errors.
• Localization: content is adapted to local markets for maximum relevance.

What you better not do:

• Complete reliance on manual translations without quality control.
• Do not apply local cultural adjustments.
• Not monitoring performance by market.

16.3. Comparison: sites without Clonable / with self-built solutions

By using Clonable, companies can expand faster, reduce errors and provide consistent, high-quality content to international markets.

17. Conclusion & Roadmap

17.1. Overview of key steps to get started

• Market research & country selection.
• Preparing CMS and website for multilingual content.
• Implement translations & localization, including dynamic feeds.
• SEO, SEA, branding and customer experience set up by market.
• Planning finances, calculating ROI and setting up KPI monitoring.

17.2. How to evaluate whether Clonable is the right solution

• Analyze how many translations and updates are needed.
• Compare internal capacity versus Clonable efficiency.
• Consider dynamic feed updates and scalability.

17.3. Tips for prioritization

• Start with markets with the greatest potential.
• Automate translations and content whenever possible with Clonable.
• Iterative expansion based on data, feedback and performance.

By following these steps and using Clonable strategically, you will make internationalization manageable, efficient and consistent, while maintaining your brand quality and customer experience.