---
title: "Academy Article"
canonical_url: "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang"
locale: en
meta:
"og:title": "Academy Article"
---
[Go to home](https://academy.laioutr.com/en)
- [Essentials apps](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/bereiche/essentials-apps)
- [SEO and GEO](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/leitfaeden/seo-and-geo)
- [Multilingual SEO and hreflang](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang)
# Multilingual SEO and hreflang
Laioutr sets canonical, hreflang alternates, x-default, og:locale and the lang attribute on every page automatically. They are based on the languages under Translations, the domains under Markets and the translated page paths in Studio.
## Before you start
- Plan
- Any platform licence
- Role
- Admin for Translations and Markets, editor for pages
- Duration
- 6 min
### Prerequisites
- At least two languages or markets
Last reviewed on October 15, 2026
Running a storefront in several languages or countries means showing search engines which version is meant for whom. Laioutr does this without code: languages are created in Cockpit under **Translations** as BCP 47 codes such as `de-CH` or `fr-FR`, and domains are assigned to a language under **Markets**.
### What every page gets automatically
- **Canonical** pointing to the current URL on the current domain
- **hreflang** links to every domain where the page has a localised path
- **x-default** pointing to the default domain of the default market
- **og:locale** and the HTML **lang** attribute
Page paths can be translated per language, such as `/produkte` and `/produits`. On page types with translated slugs, each alternate points to that language's own slug. Languages without a matching page are dropped instead of linking to nothing. Pages that exist only in certain markets refer only to those markets. Fallback chains such as `de-CH` to `de` mean only the differences need translating.
## Step by step
1. 1 ### Step 1: Create languages
Create the languages including their fallback chain under **Translations** in Cockpit with **Add language**.
2. 2 ### Step 2: Assign domains
Assign each domain its language under **Markets**.
3. 3 ### Step 3: Translate paths and meta data
Maintain page paths plus meta title and description per language in Studio, or for larger volumes via export and import under **Translations**.
## Frequently asked questions
Does hreflang need to be maintained manually?
No. Laioutr generates the hreflang links on every page from languages, markets and translated paths.
Where does x-default point?
To the default domain of the default market. Search engines use it as the fallback version.
What happens when a page has no path in one language?
That language is left out of the alternates. This avoids links to pages that do not exist.
## Related
- [Set up markets, currencies and domains](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/set-up-markets-currencies-and-domains)7 min
A market bundles name, currency, flag and the domains visitors use to reach a storefront. Markets are created in the project under Markets, and each domain gets a language from Translations.
- [Import and export translations](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/import-and-export-translations)6 min
Under Translations, Export downloads all translatable content of a project as a JSON file; Import applies the edited file and reports how many values were applied or skipped.
- [Maintain markets and translations in Studio](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/maintain-markets-and-translations-in-studio)6 min
Languages and markets are set up in Cockpit under Translations and Markets, and Studio uses them in its market and language switcher. Translatable fields are maintained per language; empty fields show the value of the fallback language.
- [SEO basics before launch](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/seo-basics-before-launch)10 min
Before going live, every important page needs a meta title, a description and the right robots value, the organisation belongs in the structured data, and old URLs redirect to new ones. The team then checks robots.txt, sitemap and rich results on the live domain.
## Learn it in a lesson
- [SEO fields and AI visibility](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/lektionen/frontend-manager-seo-and-ai-visibility)10 min
- [Languages and translations](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/lektionen/go-live-languages-and-translations)7 min
## [SEO and GEO](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/leitfaeden/seo-and-geo)
Search this guide
1. [SEO basics before launch](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/seo-basics-before-launch)10 min
2. [Set up redirects from the old site](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/set-up-redirects-from-old-site)8 min
3. [Sitemap, robots.txt and llms.txt](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/sitemap-robots-txt-llms-txt)5 min
4. [Structured data with Schema.org](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/structured-data-schema-org)6 min
5. [Multilingual SEO and hreflang](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang)6 min
6. [SEO and GEO essentials: search engines, AI search and redirects](https://academy.laioutr.com/en/apps/seo-geo-essentials-search-ai-search-redirects)9 min
## Structured Data
```json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/#website",
"@type": "WebSite",
"inLanguage": "en",
"name": "Default",
"url": "https://academy.laioutr.com/",
"translationOfWork": {
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/#website"
}
},
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#webpage",
"name": "Academy Article",
"url": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang",
"@type": [
"WebPage",
"FAQPage"
],
"breadcrumb": {
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#breadcrumb"
},
"isPartOf": {
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/#website"
},
"mainEntity": [
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#/schema/question/1"
},
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#/schema/question/2"
},
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#/schema/question/3"
}
],
"potentialAction": [
{
"@type": "ReadAction",
"target": [
"https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang"
]
}
]
},
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#breadcrumb",
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en",
"position": 1
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "Essentials apps",
"item": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/bereiche/essentials-apps",
"position": 2
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "SEO and GEO",
"item": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/leitfaeden/seo-and-geo",
"position": 3
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "Multilingual SEO and hreflang",
"item": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang",
"position": 4
}
]
},
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#/schema/question/1",
"@type": "Question",
"inLanguage": "en",
"name": "Does hreflang need to be maintained manually?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "No. Laioutr generates the hreflang links on every page from languages, markets and translated paths.
"
}
},
{
"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#/schema/question/2",
"@type": "Question",
"inLanguage": "en",
"name": "Where does x-default point?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "To the default domain of the default market. Search engines use it as the fallback version.
"
}
},
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"@id": "https://academy.laioutr.com/en/artikel/multilingual-seo-hreflang#/schema/question/3",
"@type": "Question",
"inLanguage": "en",
"name": "What happens when a page has no path in one language?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "That language is left out of the alternates. This avoids links to pages that do not exist.
"
}
}
]
}
```