Running a multilingual site introduces a layer of complexity that most link-building guides ignore entirely. The hreflang tags, the subdomain vs. subdirectory debate, the question of whether to build links to the root domain or individual language versions — these decisions have real ranking consequences. Here’s the complete framework we use for international link building across our marketplace’s English and Greek site inventory.

How Google Handles Multilingual Backlinks

Google treats each language version of your site as a semi-independent entity for ranking purposes. A backlink to your English version passes authority primarily to that version’s rankings in English-language SERPs. A link to your Greek version primarily benefits your Greek SERP performance. However, links to the root domain pass equity across all language versions through the site’s internal link structure — making root-domain links particularly valuable for multilingual sites.

hreflang and Link Equity

Properly implemented hreflang tags help Google understand which language version to serve to which users — but they don’t directly transfer link equity between versions. What they do is prevent your English and Greek versions from competing against each other in the same SERPs. Without correct hreflang implementation, you potentially split your hard-earned link equity between two pages fighting for the same rankings.

Root Domain vs. Language Subdirectories

For most sites, links to language subdirectories (e.g., yoursite.com/el/ for Greek) are more targeted and produce faster ranking improvements in that specific language’s SERPs. Links to the root domain have a compounding effect across all language versions. The optimal strategy: build 70% of links to your primary-language section, 20% to secondary-language sections, and 10% to the root domain for overall authority lift.

Finding Link Sources for Greek-Language Sites

The Greek web is smaller than the English-language web, but it’s also less competitive — meaning a DR 30 Greek site can outrank DR 60 English sites in Greek SERPs for the same topic. AuthorityLinkz maintains a curated inventory of Greek-language sites across entertainment, business, technology, and finance — all with verified Ahrefs DR and organic traffic data. For Greek placements, topical relevance matters even more because the pool of relevant sites is smaller.

Anchor Text Strategy for Multilingual Sites

Use the target language for anchor text on language-specific links. Greek anchors for Greek-language pages, English anchors for English pages. Branded anchors — your brand name — work across all languages and are a safe default for 50–60% of your anchor portfolio. Avoid translating exact-match anchors literally; translated exact-match anchors can look unnatural and trigger over-optimisation signals in Google’s language-specific algorithms.

Tracking Multilingual Link Performance

Configure separate rank tracking projects per language/country combination. In Ahrefs, filter referring domains by the language of the linking page to understand which portion of your link profile serves each language version. Google Search Console segments performance by country — use this to correlate link acquisition dates with ranking improvements in specific markets.

The AuthorityLinkz Multilingual Advantage

Our marketplace is the only backlink platform with a curated Greek-language inventory alongside English sites. Whether you’re building authority for a Greek e-commerce site, a bilingual publication, or an international brand expanding into the Greek market, you can filter and place links across both languages from a single dashboard — with real DR and traffic data for every listing.