In Armenia people search for websites in three languages: Armenian, Russian and English. A tourist, a foreign partner or a Russian-speaking customer will not find a site that exists only in Armenian. But a multilingual site is more than translated text.
Each language gets its own address
The main rule: every language needs its own URL, for example site.am, site.am/ru, site.am/en. When the language changes at the same address through JavaScript or a cookie, Google sees only one version and does not index the others.
Why you need hreflang
This markup tells Google that the pages are language versions of the same content. As a result a Russian-speaking user sees the Russian page in search, not the Armenian one. Each page must list all of its versions, including itself. Add the default version too, as x-default.
Translate everything, not just the main text
- The page title (title) and description (description); they show up in search results.
- The addresses (slugs) and image alt texts.
- The text of buttons, forms, errors and notifications.
- The emails the site sends to users.
- Currency, date format and phone numbers.
Mistakes that get in the way
- Automatic redirects by IP or browser language. They get in the way of both users and search crawlers. It is better to offer a language switch than to force one.
- Machine translation without editing. It often reads as confusing or funny, which does more harm than good.
- A half-finished version. If the Russian page opens but is half in Armenian, it is better not to show it.
- No language switcher. A visitor should be able to change language from any page and land on the same page in the other version, not on the home page.
Do you need three languages
If your customers are only local, Armenian and Russian may be enough. If you work with tourists or export, English is a must. The best path is to start with the main language and add the others once you can keep them equally up to date. We build three-language sites from the start, with the right structure.
