Languages or countries?
First decide what you are targeting: languages, countries or both. A site in English and Russian for anyone who speaks those languages is structured differently from a site with separate versions for specific countries, each with its own offer, currency and contact details.
Most companies use folders on one domain, such as /en/ and /ru/, because authority builds on a single site and maintenance is simpler. Separate domains per country make sense when the business, legal entity or brand differs by market. Our guide on international site structure compares the options.
Whatever you choose, keep each version on its own URL. Switching the language with a cookie or a script on the same URL makes it hard for search engines and visitors to reach the right version.
Signals for search engines and visitors
Link each page to its versions in other languages with hreflang annotations, including a default for visitors who do not match any version. Each version should point to itself as canonical, not to the main language.
Give visitors a visible language switcher that leads to the same page in the other language, not to the home page. Avoid automatic redirects based on location: they can block search engines and annoy people who prefer another language.
Translate the metadata, image descriptions and form messages too. A page with a translated body and an English title looks unfinished to people and to search. International SEO covers these details in depth.
Content and maintenance
Localise more than words. Prices, currencies, contact options, examples and legal information may differ by market. Search queries differ as well: people in different countries describe the same service in different terms, so keyword research should be done for each language.
Decide who owns each version. When the main version changes, someone must update the others, or they drift apart and start contradicting each other. A CMS that shows missing or outdated translations makes this much easier.
Start with the markets you can serve and maintain. Two well-kept versions do more for you than five half-translated ones. With multilingual website development, plan the structure so that it allows new markets to be added later without rebuilding it.
Folders, subdomains or domains
| Structure | Strengths | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Folders (/de/) | One site, shared authority, easiest to run | One hosting setup for all markets |
| Subdomains (de.) | Separate hosting or team possible | Each version earns search trust largely on its own |
| Country domains (.de) | Clearest local signal | The most work: separate domains, links and upkeep |
Checklist: a multi-market website
- Decide whether you target languages, countries or both.
- Choose folders or domains and keep each version on its own URL.
- Add hreflang links and a self-referencing canonical to every version.
- Translate metadata, forms and image descriptions, not only the body.
- Research search terms separately for each language.
- Name the person who updates each version.
Example: two languages, one owner
A company launches its site in English and Russian. After a few months the English version gains new services, but the Russian pages still describe the old offer, and Russian-speaking visitors ask about services that no longer exist.
The team adds a simple rule: every change to a page is made in both languages in the same task, and the CMS flags pages where one version is older than the other.
