LANGUAGE
What the visitor reads
Use a language route when navigation, page content and the next step are available in that language from start to finish.
/de/ · /en/ · /fr/DACH / LANGUAGE / COUNTRY
Localize the route, not just the words.
A DACH website needs an explicit model for language, country, URLs and follow-up. Translation changes language; localization changes the parts of the journey that truly differ.
First distinction
Language and country are different dimensions.
A German-language page can serve more than one country. A country page is justified when the offer, audience, availability, contact route or content is materially different.
COUNTRY
What actually changes
Use a country-language route when market-specific content is substantial enough to maintain: for example availability, trust inputs or handoff.
/de-de/ · /de-at/ · /de-ch/URL signals
Stable URLs first. Signals second.
Every maintained version needs a crawlable URL and a visible route from the interface. Search annotations cannot repair duplicate or incomplete pages.
- Separate URLs
- Give every language or country-language version its own stable address. Keep navigation links as normal crawlable links.
- hreflang
- Each version should list itself and every alternate version. The alternate pages must return the same set;
x-defaultcan identify a neutral selector or fallback. - Canonical
- Use a self-referencing canonical for genuinely localized pages. Do not canonicalize materially different language versions to one dominant language page.
Content model
Translation preserves meaning. Localization changes the route.
Not every paragraph needs a country variant. Keep the common foundation shared and split only the inputs that affect relevance or operation.
SHARED FOUNDATION
- Core product or service logic
- Brand principles and visual system
- Reusable component behavior
- Evidence that remains true in every market
LOCAL INPUTS
- Language and search intent
- Offer terms and supported availability
- Contact owner and lead handoff
- Verifiable trust inputs and country-specific resources
Do not force the route
No IP-based language redirect.
Do not automatically send visitors to a country or language version based on IP address. It can hide alternate pages from people and crawlers, misread travellers or multilingual users, and remove user choice. Offer a visible selector and remember a deliberate choice only when appropriate.
Country context