How do I set up separate domains or subdomains for different languages or regions in Shopify?

Shopify allows you to use different domains or subdomains for each language and country so customers automatically see the correct storefront version for their region. This is extremely important for SEO, international trust, and conversion optimization.

Why use separate domains or subdomains?

• Improves international SEO (Google country targeting)
• Shows local language, currency, and content automatically
• Builds trust with local customers
• Allows regional pricing, taxes, and shipping rules

Supported domain structures

Step 1 – Enable multiple languages

1. Go to Settings > Languages.
2. Click Add language.
3. Add all the languages you want to support.

Step 2 – Create Markets (regions)

1. Go to Settings > Markets.
2. Create markets such as France, Germany, USA, etc.
3. Assign currency, tax, and shipping settings.

Step 3 – Add your domains

1. Go to Settings > Domains.
2. Click Add domain.
3. Add your country domains or subdomains (example.fr, fr.example.com).

Step 4 – Assign domains to each market

1. Go to Settings > Markets.
2. Select a country market.
3. Click Domains and languages.
4. Choose which domain or subdomain belongs to that market.
5. Save.

Step 5 – Enable automatic redirection

1. Go to Settings > Markets.
2. Turn on Automatic redirection.
3. Customers will be redirected based on their location and language.

How Shopify handles SEO

• Automatically adds hreflang tags
• Search engines correctly index each country site
• No duplicate content penalties

Example setup

• example.com → Global
• fr.example.com → France
• example.de → Germany

Result

Your Shopify store will now show the correct domain, language, currency, and content automatically for each country — improving SEO, trust, and international sales.