I have read these threads, but they don’t seem to answer my confusion:
- How to create Multiple Store with different domain in Magento
- http://www.ecommercegorilla.com/how-to-set-up-multiple-store-fronts-with-magento/
- Optimise URL when changing Store and language switcher to maintain SEO standards
Our situation:
- Magento 2.2.6
- multi-website, multi-store, multi languages
- each store-view is a different language (English, French, German, etc.)
- Store-view switching (within the same store) via country-flags
- Store code are language based (EN, DE, FR, etc..) for the main website
The best set-up advice for optimal SEO appears to be:
- Create Sub-directories. Not Sub-domains or ccTLDs: Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/subdomain-subdirectory-cctld/226545/
- Turn off ‘Add Storecode to URL’
- Server URL rewrites: yes. Source: https://www.predikkta.com/blog/your-essential-guide-to-magento-technical-seo.html
My confusion My confusion comes from my assumption that each language should have its own URL. And the only way to achieve this is by turning on ‘Add Storecode to URL’. But the above SEO settings appear to contradict this assumption. What am I not understanding or missing?
My questions:
1.Is setting 2 and 3 also true for our situation (multistore / multi languages)?
2.If yes,
2a how does Google then know to separate the different language store views when indexing? So that each has a chance for maximum SEO
2b is there then any different URL per language? Or is this not needed and is my assumption out-dated?
2c how does a French visitor know he is in the French store-view and not the English store-view? The URL would then not give any indication, I think?