How does Shopify handle multilingual domains and SEO?

Start a Business
,

Topic summary

Shop migration planning from Wix to Shopify with a focus on multilingual structure and SEO implications. Seeks clarity on:

  • Site structure for languages: subfolders (example.com/it) vs subdomains (it.example.com), and how this impacts SEO.
  • SEO management per language: whether optimization can be done separately for each language and at what granularity (site pages, categories/collections, products).
  • Search functionality across translations: whether Shopify’s onsite search indexes localized names and terms (e.g., “Soap Orange (0.4 lb)” vs “Sapone All’arancia (200 g)”) and returns results when users search in their own language.
  • Domain mapping if using subdomains: whether multiple country/language domains can point to a single language subdomain and any limits or constraints on domains in a multilingual setup.

Primary goal is to ensure robust multilingual SEO and search behavior before switching providers. No answers or resolution yet; guidance requested on best practices and platform limitations.

Summarized with AI on January 11. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Hi,

Currently we are hosting our e-Commerce at Wix, but with multilingual necessity, we are facing some issues or challenges.

How is multilingual organised at Shopify, as subfolders or sub domains?

I’m asking because I have to know this due to SEO management of the site. Am I limited to SEO of “primary language” or can we manage SEO by every language?

Further more, do I manage SEO per language site on the level of site page(s) or also per category and product?

I suppose that Shopify have site “search engine”. Do this search works or search only within “primary language” or also within every language translate? For example; if I have a product Soap Orange (0,4lb) and translated in Italian as Sapone All’arancia (200g), will search look only by English products names or will also find Sapone if I look for Sapone?

If multilingual is organised as subdomain, how many domains can I link to a subdomain (e.g. fo German language I can or even must have two domains, but only one subdomain)?

Are there any specific limitations regarding domains, if multilingual is organised as subdomains?

I know that there are a lot of questions, but I want to be secure if I decide to switch provider.

Regards,