ccTLD vs Subfolder:

Choosing the Right International Site Structure

International SEO isn’t just about translation and keywords. The structure of your site is a foundational decision that influences everything from local trust signals to crawl efficiency. And while Google says most structures can work, not all are equal when it comes to B2B goals.

This article breaks down the ccTLD vs subfolder debate, with practical recommendations for B2B scale-ups expanding across borders.

What are your options?

At a high level, international websites can be structured in three main ways:

  • ccTLD (country-code top-level domain): example.fr, example.de

  • Subdomain: fr.example.com, de.example.com

  • Subfolder: example.com/fr/, example.com/de/

For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on the two most common choices for B2B companies: ccTLDs and subfolders.

What matters most in B2B SEO?

Before diving into pros and cons, remember your goals:

  • You want to build trust in each local market

  • You want Google to understand and rank the right pages by region

  • You want to manage SEO and content efficiently, especially with lean teams

With those in mind, let's compare the two structures.

ccTLD: The local hero

A ccTLD is a domain with a country-specific extension, like .fr for France or .de for Germany. These signal strong localisation to both users and search engines.

Pros:

  • Strong local trust. Buyers in France feel more comfortable with a .fr domain.

  • Clear geo-targeting. Google understands that example.fr is for France.

  • Legally useful in regulated markets (e.g. data privacy or local hosting laws).

Cons:

  • Splits your domain authority. Each ccTLD is treated as a separate site.

  • Requires more resources. You’ll need to build links, optimise pages, and manage tech SEO per domain.

  • Harder to maintain consistency across global messaging.

In short, ccTLDs work best if you have:

  • Significant operations in the market

  • A team or agency to manage local SEO

  • Legal or brand reasons to appear “fully localised”

Subfolders: The scalable choice

A subfolder structure keeps everything on one domain. For example, your UK content sits at example.com/uk/ and your Dutch version at example.com/nl/.

Pros:

  • All authority stays on one domain. Faster SEO wins.

  • Easier to manage technical SEO and analytics.

  • Works well with hreflang tags and global sitemaps.

Cons:

  • Slightly weaker in local trust, especially in high-context cultures.

  • Not ideal for regulated markets with ccTLD expectations.

For most B2B scale-ups, subfolders hit the sweet spot between SEO performance and resource efficiency. You centralise your efforts while still creating targeted content per market.

Typical B2B scenarios and recommendations

Scenario 1: One product, multiple countries, lean team
You’re selling the same SaaS platform across 5-6 European countries with no local entities.

  • Recommendation: Use subfolders. It’s the most manageable structure.

Scenario 2: Legal or branding pressure to localise
You’re entering a market where regulations or perception demand full localisation (e.g. Germany or Japan).

  • Recommendation: Go ccTLD if you can invest in building and maintaining it.

Scenario 3: Different pricing or services by market
You have country-specific offers, billing, or support models.

  • Recommendation: ccTLD or subfolder, but with strong content governance and technical SEO to avoid duplication.

The decision flow

We use a simple decision diagram (see visual) to help clients choose the right path. Key questions include:

  • Do you need legal separation?

  • Will your sales teams operate locally?

  • How much SEO and content capacity do you have?

  • Will your CMS support multi-region logic?

In many cases, subfolders win by default. But don’t underestimate the perception value of a ccTLD in some markets.

Decision diagram on when to choose ccTLDs or Subfolders for an international site

Technical setup and SEO hygiene

Whatever structure you choose, follow these technical best practices:

  • Add hreflang tags between country/language versions

  • Use consistent slugs across languages where possible

  • Keep one sitemap with all versions listed and referenced

  • Add canonical tags carefully, each version should self-canonicalise

  • Ensure clear navigation between versions (footer country switcher or header dropdown)

Avoid launching empty shells (e.g. a .fr domain with no content). Google penalises thin, poorly maintained sites more than those that are centralised.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Using subdomains without clear geo-targeting logic

  • Mixing languages on the same URL

  • Forgetting to update internal links between versions

  • Launching ccTLDs without local hosting, SSL, or language support

  • Duplicating content without adapting tone or offers

In summary

Your international site structure isn’t just a technical decision. It influences your SEO growth rate, trust with local buyers, and ability to scale across markets.

If you're just starting out, subfolders usually offer the best balance of simplicity, SEO performance, and central control. If you’re deeply committed to a market or face local legal constraints, ccTLDs are worth the extra work.

And if you’re not sure? Start with subfolders, test results, and evolve as you grow.