Available on the WordPress, build-time and Shopify routes (built and tested); not on script-only routes.
Language URLs and hreflang that search engines can use
Search engines index URLs. So translated pages need their own address, a canonical tag that points at themselves and hreflang tags that link the versions to each other.
Who it is for
- Sites that want organic traffic in more than one language.
- SEO leads who have found one-way or broken hreflang on a translated site.
- Owners comparing subfolders, subdomains and country domains.
Honest limits
- The script-only routes (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow) keep one URL per page, so there is nothing to put hreflang on. Use the platform's own multilingual feature for search.
- We make no ranking promises. Translated pages still need local keywords and useful content. Machine translation can be indexed, but its quality is yours to review.
- We do not redirect visitors by browser language, because that can hide pages from crawlers. The loader can suggest a language without switching.
- These features exist in code and automated tests. They have not yet run on live sites.
How it works in 3 steps
Give each language its own URL
WordPress uses subfolders such as /fr/ with optional translated slugs. Shopify uses its own language URLs. Next.js, Nuxt, Astro and static sites get one folder per language at build time.
Link the versions together
Every page lists all its language versions with absolute, reciprocal hreflang plus x-default, and one self-referencing canonical per URL.
Tell search engines
WordPress gets a sitemap with a sub-sitemap per language; the build-time tool can write a sitemap with alternates. On WordPress, pages with too little translated text are set to noindex and left out of hreflang instead of shipping half-translated.
Questions
Does it add hreflang automatically?
On the WordPress and build-time routes, yes: reciprocal tags with x-default and absolute URLs. On Shopify the platform produces them. Script-only routes cannot, because they keep one URL.
Subfolders or subdomains?
Our tools use subfolders (/fr/). The guide on subdirectories, subdomains and country domains explains the trade-offs.
Are my translated slugs supported?
Yes on WordPress, where the old slug redirects to the translated one under a language URL. On Shopify handle translation is opt-in.
Will Google penalize machine translation?
Google's position is covered in our guide. The practical advice is to review pages that matter and keep them useful.
Read more
- What Is hreflang? A Complete Guide With Examples
- Common hreflang Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- Multilingual SEO Checklist for Launch and Audits
- Canonical Tags on Multilingual Sites and hreflang
- Multilingual XML Sitemaps: hreflang, lastmod and Indexes
- Translate URLs and Slugs for SEO: Should You?
See also: WordPress · Shopify · Static sites · Pricing · Trust and security