How should I handle the homepage of my multilingual website in Webflow when using language-specific folders for each page? How does this affect the setup of hreflang tags and the usage of subdomains?
TL;DR
- Establish language-specific folders (e.g.,
/en/,/es/) and use hreflang tags for language targeting on each page. - Consider subdomain usage, but note Webflow's limited support, favoring subfolder structures for ease.
- Confirm Webflow hosting compatibility and DNS settings for any chosen configuration.
Properly setting up a multilingual website in Webflow involves careful organization of your site's structure and configuration of hreflang tags. Here's a step-by-step approach to handling the homepage and how it affects subdomains and hreflang usage:
1. Homepage and Language-Specific Folders
- Create a separate folder for each language. For example, if you have English and Spanish, create folders like
/en/and/es/. - Assign the corresponding language versions of pages to these folders, ensuring they reflect correctly—for example,
/en/homeor/es/home. - For the homepage in the primary language (e.g., English), you can set the root (
/) with a redirect to/en/or handle it directly if the root serves the primary language.
2. Hreflang Tags Setup
- Use hreflang tags to indicate language and regional targeting. These tags should be placed in the
<head>of each page. - Every page should reference its language alternatives. For example, on
/en/home, include<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es" href="/es/home">. - Make sure to include a self-referencing hreflang tag (e.g.,
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="/en/home">for the English homepage).
3. Usage of Subdomains
- Decide if you want to use subdomains or subfolders for each language. Webflow primarily supports subfolder structures, which is straightforward for hreflang tag configuration.
- If you choose subdomains (e.g.,
en.example.com), note that Webflow doesn’t natively support subdomain structures for different languages, which may require additional configurations like reverse proxy or a custom domain setup.
4. Updating Webflow Hosting and Settings
- Ensure your Webflow hosting plan supports the setup you choose.
- Double-check your DNS settings if using custom subdomain configurations, making sure the correct A records or CNAMEs are in place.
Summary
To manage a multilingual homepage in Webflow, create language-specific folders and implement hreflang tags to guide search engines. Subdomains add complexity and are generally less supported in Webflow than subfolders. Proper configuration ensures your site targets the intended regional audiences effectively.
