Multilingual store and hreflang

A multilingual online store is a store in which all content (products, categories, checkout, emails) is available in several languages. hreflang is an annotation in a page's code that tells the search engine that the page has versions in other languages or for other countries, so it can show the user the right one.

In plain words

In Ukraine a typical set is Ukrainian, English, and sometimes Russian for an existing audience. For the shopper it matters that the store is understandable; for the search engine it matters to know that `/en/` and `/` are not copies but translations of one page. Google explains the purpose of hreflang like this: to help Search point users to the most appropriate version of a page by language or region; localized versions are considered duplicates only if the main content remains untranslated (Google).

URL structure

Google considers four options: separate country domains (`example.de`), subdomains (`de.example.com`), subdirectories (`example.com/de/`) and URL parameters. Google doesn't recommend parameters; each of the others has pros and cons in clarity, cost, infrastructure and server location (Google). For most stores it is simplest to use subdirectories on one domain: easier and cheaper to maintain, but this is just a practical consideration, not a Google requirement.

Rules from the same Google page: - A separate URL for each language, not a cookie or browser setting. - One language per page. Google determines the language from the visible content, not from the `lang` attribute or the URL; don't put translations side by side on one page. - Be careful with partial translation. If only the shell is translated while reviews or the description stay in one language, the search result looks mixed. - Don't redirect automatically based on a guessed user language, because that can hide versions from people and search engines. It's better to give links to the other languages so the person chooses.

How hreflang works

According to the same documentation (Google):

• Three equivalent ways to specify it: `<link rel="alternate">` tags in the `<head>`, an HTTP header, or `xhtml:link` in the sitemap.
• Each version points to itself and to all the others, and the set of annotations is the same on every page.
• Return links are mandatory. If two pages don't point to each other, the annotations are ignored. This is the most common mistake.
• `x-default` marks a fallback page, for example a language selector, for languages not in the list.
• Language codes follow ISO 639-1, optionally with a region code (`en-GB`); a country code alone is not valid. Reserved codes like `EU`, `UN`, `UK` are ignored.
• URLs are full, with `https://`.

An example for a category page (illustrative):

```html <link rel="alternate" hreflang="uk" href="example.ua/shoes/" /> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="example.ua/en/shoes/" /> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="example.ua/shoes/" /> ```

Important: the code for the Ukrainian language is `uk`, while `ua` denotes the country and is not used as a language in hreflang. This follows from the rule about ISO language codes that Google gives.

What to translate

• Texts of products and categories, filters, error messages, emails, documents (delivery and return terms).
• Title and description meta tags, structured data.
• Currency and units: hryvnia, euro, date formats. A language without matching prices and delivery doesn't make a store international; see selling abroad.
• Images with text, banners, PDFs.

For how language affects structured data and markup, see structured data.

Common mistakes

• An automatic redirect by browser language (Google).
• Missing hreflang return links (Google).
• Incomplete translation: the menu in another language, while the product page is in Ukrainian.
• The same text under different language URLs with no translation.
• A separate assortment and prices with no explanation: the English version shows products that aren't shipped abroad.
• Forgetting the language versions in the sitemap, canonical and forms: check during a technical audit.

FAQ

What is hreflang? An annotation that links the language versions of a page so search shows the right one (Google).

Do I need hreflang if the store is only in Ukrainian? No. It is needed when there are several language or regional versions of the same content.

Does being multilingual hurt SEO because of duplicates? If the content is really translated, it is not a duplicate in Google's sense (Google).

Which is better: a subdomain, a subdirectory or a separate domain? Google doesn't name a winner: each option has trade-offs (Google).

Should I use machine translation? Google doesn't discuss machine translation on these pages. A practical rule: translated text should read naturally and be checked by a person, especially product descriptions, return terms and legal texts.

Related terms

• Selling abroad from Ukraine: logistics, duties, payments
• Technical site audit
• SEO audit of an online store
• Structured data for an online store: Product, Offer, Review
• SEO trends for an online store

Sources

• Google Search Central, Tell Google about localized versions of your page — developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/international/localized-versions
• Google Search Central, Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites — developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/international/managing-multi-regional-sites