How to Do Multilingual SEO for Your Website

Is your website available in several languages, but the translated pages attract very few visitors? Or does Google show the English version even though you also have a German page?

To improve your multilingual SEO, you first need to understand where the problem lies. Can Google find and index your translated pages? Does the content use the terms your audience searches for? And do visitors reach a page that matches their language and question?

My advice is to review one language version at a time. Start with a few important pages and check their technical setup, keywords, and content. In this guide, I explain how to do multilingual SEO, what to check, and what you can improve.

What Is Multilingual SEO?

Multilingual SEO means optimizing your website for searches in different languages. The goal is to help people find the appropriate language version and make sure the page addresses what they are looking for.

A language is not the same as a country. A German page might serve German-speaking visitors from several countries. A page specifically for customers in Germany may also contain different information about shipping, prices, or availability.

You can also serve several countries in the same language, for example with separate English pages for the United States and the United Kingdom. Google therefore distinguishes between multilingual and multi-regional websites.

First, decide which visitors you want each version to reach. That decision provides the foundation for your keywords, content, and technical settings.

1. Identify Which Language Version Needs Attention

Before rewriting content or changing settings, I recommend recording your current position. Choose one language version and three important pages: for example, the homepage, a service or product page, and an article.

For each page, note its URL, whether Google has indexed it, and how much search traffic it receives. This small sample can help you identify the checks you need to make.

These are starting points for your investigation. Low traffic does not automatically mean your hreflang is incorrect.

Start with problems affecting several important pages. If all your German pages have accidentally been excluded from indexing, improving one German meta description will do little to address the main issue.

2. Research What People Search for in the Target Language

Translate your existing keywords, then check whether people actually use those terms. A linguistically correct translation is not always the common search term.

Terminology can differ even within the same language. Think of “trainers” in the United Kingdom and “sneakers” in the United States. People using similar queries may also expect different types of answers.

For your main services or products, I recommend following these steps:

1. Write down the question or need the page should address.
2. Collect possible search terms in the target language.
3. Check those terms in a keyword tool with data for the relevant country.
4. Review the types of pages appearing for those terms.
5. Decide which search intent your page should satisfy.

Search results help with the fourth step. Do you mainly see online stores, detailed explanations, or comparisons? That gives you an indication of the type of page that suits the query. Review results for your intended market; your own Google results may differ because of your location and settings.

You can use Semrush for this, for example. Without a paid tool, start with search suggestions and the queries you already see in Google Search Console. These can provide ideas, but they will not give you a complete picture of search demand.

If you do not know the language well enough, ask someone familiar with both the language and the subject to review your choices. For important service and product pages, I would avoid relying entirely on automatic translation. For the Dutch market, that is what I do as a Dutch SEO consultant.

3. Check That Each Language Version Has Its Own URL

Open a page, switch languages, and look at the address in your browser. Does the URL change? Then copy that URL into a private browsing window and check whether it opens directly in the language you selected.

For example:

• Dutch: https://example.com/nl/diensten/
• English: https://example.com/en/services/
• German: https://example.com/de/leistungen/

Google recommends separate URLs for language versions rather than changing the language at one URL through cookies or browser settings.

Does the address stay the same while the language changes? Check how your translation solution works. Seeing a translation in your browser does not tell you whether each language version can be discovered separately.

Which URL Structure Should You Choose?

For a website managed through one system, I would consider subdirectories first. If your existing structure works well, a migration is usually not the first improvement to tackle. You would also need to update redirects, links, and other settings. I compare the three structures in more detail in how to do international SEO.

4. Check Indexing in Google Search Console

Google Search Console helps you investigate whether Google has added your pages to its search index. This is the collection of pages Google can use to select search results.

Open the correct website property in Search Console and enter the full URL of a translated page in the inspection bar at the top. Then review the page indexing information.

Pay particular attention to:

• Whether the URL is indexed.
• Whether Google could fetch the page.
• Whether indexing is allowed.
• Which URL Google selected as canonical.

You can also run a live test to check the current page. The standard inspection report shows information about the version Google has processed, which may be older. The live test does not predict which canonical Google will ultimately choose.

Does the report say indexing is not allowed? Check the settings in your SEO plugin, translation solution, or website. A noindex instruction tells Google not to include the page in search results.

Does it say the page could not be fetched? Investigate the reported error. A missing page or a server error needs a different solution from an indexing setting.

Can Google See the Translated Text?

After running a live inspection, you can view the tested page when that option is available. Check whether the main content appears in the correct language.

This is particularly relevant if your translation loads through JavaScript. Google can process JavaScript, but you need to check whether your implementation makes the translated content available.

A successful test does not mean your page will automatically rank well. It can, however, help you rule out certain technical problems.

5. Check That Hreflang Connects the Correct Pages

Hreflang tells Google which pages are language or regional versions of one another. A Dutch service page should therefore be connected to the English version of that same service page.

Both pages could contain this set:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="nl"
      href="https://example.com/nl/diensten/" />

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en"
      href="https://example.com/en/services/" />

The Dutch page lists itself and the English version. The English page lists itself and points back to the Dutch version.

Check a few page pairs to see whether those connections are correct. Look for incorrect URLs, missing return references, and links to a homepage when a translation of the specific page exists.

Use the correct codes too. en is generic English; en-GB is English targeted at the United Kingdom. The free hreflang checker tests the codes and return links of a page and all its versions, and the hreflang generator creates a valid set.

Where Can You Find These Settings?

That depends on your website. Hreflang can appear in a page’s HTML, an XML sitemap, or HTTP headers. Google considers these methods equivalent.

On WordPress, the connections are often managed through your multilingual plugin. Check whether the translated pages are actually linked to one another there.

Do not immediately add manual tags if your plugin already generates them. My advice is to identify where the existing information comes from and correct that connection first. This helps you avoid conflicting sets of annotations.

6. Check the Canonical for Each Language Version

A canonical identifies the URL you consider the preferred version when the same or very similar content appears at several URLs.

For separate Dutch and English translations, a canonical pointing to each page’s own URL is generally appropriate. For example, the English page would contain:

<link rel="canonical"
      href="https://example.com/en/services/" />

Do all translations point to the Dutch page? Check why that setting is in place. You are expressing a preference that may not match your goal of having the English and German pages appear independently in Google.

You can usually find the declared canonical in the page source by searching for canonical. Search Console can also show which canonical Google selected, when that information is available.

Google recommends specifying a canonical in the same language when using hreflang, where one is available.

For nearly identical English pages targeting several countries, the decision is more complex. I would first establish which regional differences matter and which pages you want indexed.

7. Adapt the Content to Your Audience

Once the technical setup is correct, assess whether the page is useful to the visitors you want to reach.

A German customer, for example, gains little from shipping information that applies only to the Netherlands. A literal translation may also sound unnatural or use terms your audience does not recognize.

Review your most important pages for:

• Natural language and correct terminology.
• A clear answer to the local search query.
• Products and services that are available.
• Accurate prices, currencies, and units.
• Shipping, contact options, and terms.
• Examples your audience understands.

You do not need to rewrite every page completely. Make the changes needed to keep the information clear and accurate. The free Localization Checker shows for each country version whether prices, currency, phone numbers and language signals match its market.

Can You Use AI for Translation?

AI can help produce an initial version. Have important content reviewed afterward for meaning, accuracy, and natural language.

Google emphasizes the quality and usefulness of the final translation. Using automatic translation does not, by itself, establish whether a page is good or bad.

With a limited budget, I would start with your most important service or product pages and the steps leading to an inquiry or purchase.

8. Translate the Entire Page, Including Forms

Alongside the main text, check the title, meta description, headings, navigation, buttons, and relevant image descriptions.

Google recommends using the same language and writing system for the page title as for the main content. If they differ, Google may choose other text for the title link in search results.

Test your form too. Fill it out, try leaving a required field empty, and review the confirmation. Are the labels, error messages, and next steps understandable in the selected language?

I find this a useful check because it takes you through the whole journey. A translated service page offers little help if visitors no longer understand what is being asked when they try to submit an inquiry.

9. Test Internal Links and the Language Switcher

From a translated page, click through to a service, product, and contact page. Do you consistently reach the correct language version?

Where possible, internal links should lead to relevant pages in the same language. If a page exists only in another language, make clear what visitors can expect when they follow the link.

Next, check the language switcher. If you switch from a German product page to English, you should reach the English version of that product.

Avoid forced redirects based on an assumed language or location. Google warns that these redirects can prevent access to different versions. Instead, provide a language choice or suggestion visitors can use themselves.

10. Track Results for Each Language Version

Record which pages you changed and when. Then review the performance of that language version separately.

Search Console’s Performance report lets you review clicks, impressions, queries, pages, and countries, among other information.

Do all your German pages have /de/ in their URLs? Use a page filter to review that group. Check which queries bring visitors and whether they match the questions you intended to address.

Review countries separately. A German page may receive visitors from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Language and location are therefore different parts of your analysis.

Track inquiries or sales alongside search traffic. If relevant visitors arrive but few submit inquiries, review your offer and the steps leading to the form again.

Multilingual SEO Checklist: Where Should You Start?

You do not need to tackle every language version at once. My advice is to start with one important version and follow this sequence:

If you find a technical issue blocking access or indexing, address it first. Then use the improved pages as a model for the rest of that language version.

Frequently Asked Questions About Multilingual SEO