Main issue: avoiding duplicate content across EU (.eu) and US (.us) Shopify stores with identical catalogs and SEO work.
Key options discussed:
Single-store approach (with Shopify Payments): sell in multiple currencies and use International Domains to target regions with specific URLs, pricing, and languages. Shopify auto-handles hreflang, sitemaps, and duplicate-content signals. Not limited to Shopify Plus; available on the Shopify plan and above. A store switcher (e.g., Shopify’s Geolocation app) can localize experiences.
Multi-store approach: add hreflang tags to each theme to map language/region variants so search engines understand country targeting. General SEO tips included using country-specific domains, minimizing duplicates, and avoiding thin pages.
Decision/outcome from OP: will keep two separate Shopify accounts (EU and US) for operational flexibility (products, email, offers, ads). Implemented hreflang; early signs suggest Google distinguishes the sites by country.
Open items/newest update: another merchant reports Ahrefs flagging duplicates between regional and default URLs (e.g., /en-ca/ vs root) and duplicate meta descriptions despite Shopify’s geolocation setup. Awaiting clarification on whether this is an audit tool artifact or requires changes. Status: partially resolved; discussion ongoing.
Summarized with AI on December 28.
AI used: gpt-5.
We have translated the shop using langify app to sell in Europe in EUR with www.luisa-paixao.eu
A big part of the orders are coming from USA !!??
Good ! We decided to open a new Shopify account in USD, we linked it to the other one with Syncio and we are ready to start to sell in the USA in USD with www.luisa-paixao.us
BUT
www.luisa-paixao.eu and www.luisa-paixao.us are exactly the same and as we have worked a lot on our SEO, We don’t want to loose our positions because of duplicate content.
Could you help by sharing tips and best practices ?
Ok, for what you are doing, it’s very possible to do this all from a single Shopify store - this way the SEO is handled for you already and duplicate content does not appear.
Using top-level domains: It is used to help us serve the exact version of a document. The use of top-level domains whenever possible to handle country-specific content Is very beneficial.
Link carefully: if you post on other pages, Google will always show users what we think is different on each search, whether you are different or not. However, it helps to make sure that every page of your content is related to your previous article.
Reduce the amount of repetitive heat: instead of putting a long text about the copyright under each page, add a short text, and then look at the page in detail. You can also use the settlement management tool to find out how Google manages the landing URL.
Avoid publishing stubs: Users don’t like seeing “empty” pages, so avoid placeholders where possible.
Understand System Management: Make sure you are familiar with the description of the content of your website. Blogs, forums, and networking systems often show the same platform on more than one platform.
Minimize Duplicates: If you have many similar pages, consider enlarging or merging each page. For example, if you have a website with different pages for two cities, but both pages have the same information, you can combine pages for both cities into pages.
Was there ever a resolution of this under 1 store. I just can’t see why it’s not a functionality of shopify. The hreflang workaround works but would rather have it managed under one domain/store.
Use international domains which targets different countries/regions with specific URLs, pricing, and languages, while Shopify automatically handles SEO and duplicate content for you
We want to manage our sales in UE and in USA from 2 different Shopify accounts then we can manage our US / UE products offer, our US / UE email marketing, our US / UE offers, our US / UE advertising… more easily
We worked on the hreflang implementation
It seems Google understand that there is 2 website, almost the same but not for the same countries.
I’m not sure you should wish to close a debate on this with @coleatkinson who is one of Shopify’s experts on Internationalisation. It would help if you can be clear on how you are using the terms stores and account.
Shopify allows you to have multiple stores from within one account using their new International Domains setup. As Cole mentioned the href lang and sitemap management is taken care for you. You will need a store switcher such as Shopify’s own ‘Geolocation App’
If you require expert help I would perhaps reach out to Cole and/or Shopify Support.
One last thing, you will need to be on Shopify Plus for these options.
This is available to all Shopify Payments merchants on the Shopify Plan and above.