Frame the comparison around the ranking URL
Comparisons get messy when people mix goals. An English homepage link and an Italian category link are not peers. Start by naming the URL that should win in Italy, then ask which referring page helps that URL more.
For most international brands, that URL is an italian subfolder page, a .it template, or a localised landing page with hreflang. Links pointing elsewhere may still help the domain, yet they waste the local opportunity.
Once the URL is clear, language and audience of the linking page become easier to judge. You are no longer collecting domains. You are supporting a market.
Side-by-side: Italian publisher link versus English link
| Dimension | Italian publisher link | English link |
|---|---|---|
| Host language | Italian | English |
| Typical traffic source | google.it and Italian users | US, UK, global English markets |
| Local relevance | High when topic fits | Low for italian queries |
| Anchor language fit | Italian anchors can match SERP language | English anchors mismatch italian queries |
| Best role | Local ranking support | Brand and global entity support |
| Common failure mode | Fake Italian blogs | Calling English links an Italy strategy |
This table is intentionally blunt. Edge cases exist, especially for English queries typed by Italian users in bilingual niches. Those niches are narrower than vendors imply.
Anchor text behaves differently across languages
Exact-match commercial anchors in Italian are powerful and easy to overuse. English exact match on an Italian money page looks even stranger. Cross-market brands should map anchor language to page language first.
Branded anchors travel well across markets. Naked URLs do too. Partial Italian phrases fill the middle. Keep a written distribution so campaigns in Germany, France, and Italy do not accidentally create the same aggressive pattern in three languages.
More detail lives in anchor text for cross-market brands operating in Italy.
Link velocity and market realism
English link inventories are deeper. Italian inventories in many B2B niches are thinner. That means honest Italian campaigns move slower. If a vendor matches English-market velocity in Italy, ask which corners they are cutting.
Slower is not a moral virtue. It is a market constraint. Plan quarters, not sprints, when Italian publishers are the bottleneck.
How to measure which type moved the needle
In Google Search Console, filter by italy and watch landing pages, not only domain totals. In Ahrefs or Semrush, track referring domain language and country traffic of hosts over time.
When rankings rise after a mixed burst, do not credit the loudest link. Credit the cluster that pointed at the ranking URL with relevant italian context. Then do more of that.
Pair this reading with do you need Italian links to rank on google.it and Italian guest posts.
A simple decision rule for buyers
If the query language is Italian and competitors show Italian referring domains in their top pages, buy Italian placements. If the query is brand and you lack mentions entirely, English PR can come first.
If you cannot afford both this quarter, prioritise the market where revenue is real. Symbolic entry into Italy with only English links usually produces symbolic results.
- Italian links for italian commercial SERPs
- English links for global brand entity
- Always hit the correct localised URL
- Approve hosts before payment
How to read competitor backlinks without copying junk
Export competitor referring domains and label each host as Italian-language with Italy traffic, English global, or unclear. Copy the first group aggressively only when topical fit is real. Treat the second group as brand-level inspiration, not a shopping list for google.it.
Unclear hosts deserve manual review. Many will be the fake Italian blogs this site warns about. Others will be legitimate newspapers with mixed language sections. The label is less important than whether the specific linking URL helps your Italian money page.
Also watch link velocity. If a competitor gained fifty italian referring domains in a month across unrelated niches, you may be looking at a risk pattern rather than a model to imitate. Sustainable profiles accumulate more unevenly.
When your own mix is ready, document the intended ratio of Italian to English acquisitions for the next two quarters. That document prevents random opportunistic buys from dragging the profile back toward English-only habits.
If you need help turning the comparison into a scoped plan, our ecommerce link building Italy and guest post services both start with URL targeting before publisher outreach.