A multiregional website explicitly targets users in different countries, for example Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The country versions often share a language and differ in currency, shipping, prices or legal text.
How are country versions set up?
Google names three common URL structures. A country-specific domain (ccTLD such as example.de) signals the target country most clearly, but it costs more, needs more infrastructure and covers one country only. Subdomains on a generic domain are easy to set up, though users may not recognize the targeting from the URL. Subdirectories (example.com/de/) are simple to maintain, and the geotargeting is less obvious. Google does not recommend URL parameters.
The versions are linked with hreflang. For country and language variants the value combines language and region, such as de-AT or de-CH: language in ISO 639-1, region in ISO 3166-1 Alpha 2. A country code alone is not valid. Each version lists all others and itself. Google states that alternate URLs do not need to be on the same domain, so hreflang also works across ccTLDs. Some third-party sources call hreflang unnecessary for separate country domains.
Same-language country pages risk becoming near copies. Separate pages make most sense when offer, prices or legal conditions really differ (an assessment).
| Structure | Example | Target country recognisable? | Pros according to Google | Cons according to Google |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country-code domain (ccTLD) | example. | yes, a strong signal to users and search engines | clear geotargeting, server location irrelevant, easy separation of sites | expensive and sometimes limited availability, more infrastructure, strict ccTLD requirements in some cases, one country only |
| Subdomain on a gTLD | de. | not always clear from the URL alone (is "de" the language or the country?) | easy to set up, allows different server locations, easy separation of sites | users might not recognise the targeting from the URL alone |
| Subdirectory on a gTLD | example. | not always clear from the URL alone | easy to set up, low maintenance (same host) | users might not recognise the targeting from the URL alone, single server location, harder to separate sites |
| URL parameters | example. | not always clear from the URL alone | – (not recommended by Google) | URL-based segmentation difficult, users might not recognise the targeting from the URL alone |
Generic endings such as .com or .org aren't tied to a country. Google also treats .eu, .asia and some country codes such as .io, .ai, .me or .tv as generic. The country targeting setting in Search Console (International Targeting report) no longer exists. Today, a site on a gTLD is targeted through locale-specific URLs and hreflang (in tags, headers or sitemaps). Google also considers server location and other signals such as local addresses, language and currency. Sources: Google Search Central: Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites (last updated 2025-12-10); Search Console Help: International Targeting report (deprecated). Last checked: .
Example
example.com/de/ (Germany, euro), example.com/ch-de/ (Switzerland, francs) and example.com/at/ (Austria) share some text but have their own prices and shipping terms. Each page carries hreflang values de-DE, de-CH and de-AT.
Common mistakes
- Missing return tags
- Wrong country codes, such as en-UK instead of en-GB
- Automatic redirects by IP address
Sources
- Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
- Tell Google about localized versions of your page – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
- SEO for multilingual websites – Lingohub (secondary)lingohub.com
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