A multilingual website is a crucial stage for any company looking to expand to an international market. However, when making the site accessible in different languages and adjusting the interface, a key problem is: what should you consider when choosing the appropriate domain name for various languages without damaging your SEO?
This article will go over the most common ways to use domains for multilingual websites, talk about the pros and cons, and offer practical advice on managing .ua, .com, and .eu domains as well as subdomains.
Table of Contents
Why picking the correct domain is crucial for SEO
Search engines consider the site’s relevance to its region as well as the language used in the content, as well as how well it can meet the needs of users. Insufficient domain structure or unorganized use of folders and subdomains could result in:
- The cannibalization of traffic between versions
- Indexing of the incorrect language version for a specific area
- Local search results are not well-known. results
To avoid issues like these, it is important to create a precise localization domain strategy at the design phase.
Three main approaches to site Localization
1. SEPARATE Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) for Each Country
Example:
- Example.ua – which is for Ukraine
- Example.pl – for Poland
- Example.de – which is for Germany
Advantages:
- Achieve maximum alignment with local expectations
- Greater ranking in the local Google version (e.g., google.com.ua)
Disadvantages:
- Each domain needs its own SEO and marketing
- More expensive hosting costs marketing, support, and maintenance
When to apply it:
This method is ideal for larger companies or brands that have offices across multiple countries. For instance, when you use .ua domains to target use in the Ukrainian market, it is essential to comply with the local requirements for registration and choose an established registrar such as RX-NAME.
2. Utilizing Subdomains for Every Language Version
Example:
- ua.example.com
- pl.example.com
- en.example.com
Advantages:
- You can maintain only one primary domain
- Each language variant is simple to recognize
Disadvantages:
- Each subdomain requires a unique SEO configuration
- Search engines can treat subdomains as distinct websites
When to make use of it:
This is an excellent alternative for companies that need central content management, while still maintaining the same language and local identity.
3. Subdirectories are used to store Language Versions
Example:
- Example.com/ua/
- Example.com/pl/
- Example.com/en/
Advantages:
- All pages stay under one domain authority
- The SEO power of the primary domain increases with every version
Disadvantages:
- More difficult to distinguish the traffic metrics for each language.
- Site structure must be thought-through, and a correct implementation of hreflang
When to make use of it:
This is the most appropriate solution for small or mid-sized businesses with moderate traffic.
Which domains work best: .ua, .com, or .eu?
- .ua. – It is a great choice suitable for the Ukrainian market, and increases the confidence of the users. It requires a trademark registered to obtain the second-level domain (like company.ua). In addition, you can also use public domains such as .com.ua.
- .com – A common option for businesses with international operations. It works well for websites targeting an international or multi-national audience.
- .eu – a perfect choice for businesses that operate in that part of the European Union. It represents regional identity, although it does not always reflect the language of the website.
Choose the domain zone you want to use according to your intended audience and your geographic market. If your company is located in different regions, think about combining zones that have subdomains or subdirectories to make it more flexible.
Effective SEO tips for multilingual websites
- Use the hreflang tagIt aids search engines in determining the version of a webpage that is intended for what language or region. This is vital to prevent duplicate issues with content.
- One language – one URL. Do not mix multiple languages within the same web page.
- Do not use automatic translation as your principal method of localization. Machine-translated content can be of poor quality and can harm your position.
- Optimize each language’s version individually. It includes metatags as well as titles, descriptions, and the right keywords to suit the specific target audience.
- Create a separate sitemap.xml for each version of the sitemap or one file unified with the hreflang attribute.
- Secure and speed up your website. For websites that are multilingual, it is advised to make use of an experienced server or VPS to ensure reliable performance across different regions and have an authentic SSL certificate for every subdomain or version of the language.
Conclusion
The choice of the best URL structure and domain for multilingual websites isn’t an issue of technical merit. It’s an important decision that will affect the visibility of your site in search engines and user trust, as well as conversion rates. When deciding between ccTLDs, subdirectories, or subdomains, think about the size of your site as well as the market you want to target and the resources available.
Whatever your strategy, the key is to keep a clean structure, provide quality localized content, and ensure a solid technical SEO. To ensure that you get the most appropriate domain for each location, make use of our domain registration services.
