Asked as subdomain or subdirectory, the answer for most Shopify merchants is the subdirectory — a subfolder on your primary domain — because that is what consolidates authority rather than splitting it. A subdomain starts from zero. Shopify also supports market-specific international domains, which require a unique URL per country or region and can redirect visitors automatically. The decision is not really an SEO decision — it follows from whether your markets are one business or several.
Why subfolders win by default
Every link your domain has ever earned sits on one hostname. Subfolders keep new language versions on that hostname, so they inherit it. A separate domain starts from nothing and has to earn authority again, per market, which is a multi-year bill most merchants do not intend to sign.
Subfolders are also simply less to run: one domain to secure, one to monitor, one set of redirects. On a small team that is the difference between international SEO happening and international SEO being on the list. The switcher that moves shoppers between them is a separate decision, covered in Shopify language switcher options.
When a separate domain is the right answer anyway
When the market is a separate business. A distinct legal entity, a materially different catalogue, or a market where you need a country-code domain for trust or regulatory reasons. Those are structural, and they outrank the authority argument — the same three exceptions that decide whether you need a second Shopify store.
If you do go that way, Shopify's international domains give each country or region its own URL with automatic redirection, so the mechanics are supported. The cost is authority, not capability.
The part that actually decides your rankings
URL structure is a one-time decision and it is not the one most stores get wrong. What they get wrong is what sits inside the structure. Each language version needs its own crawlable URL, correct hreflang across every market, and inclusion in the sitemap. Shopify handles the first when you publish a language; the other two are worth verifying rather than assuming.
Translated slugs matter here too, and Shopify supports them — URL handles can be localised per language, with the caveat that the word products in the path cannot be translated. So a fully localised URL is not quite fully localised, and that is a platform constraint rather than something to fix.
The larger point: structure is cheap to get right and rarely the bottleneck. Coverage and upkeep are. Sabre Paris went live in five markets in two weeks and lifted German revenue 100%; Mac Duggal reached 28 markets in under three months, taking international from 8% to 16% of DTC revenue; across 40+ merchants translated stores lifted conversion by an average of 40% at launch. Neither outcome turned on subfolders versus subdomains. If tooling is still open, the best Shopify translation apps guide covers what each architecture reaches.
Frequently asked questions
Is a subdomain or a subdirectory better for Shopify SEO?
Subfolders on your primary domain by default, because they inherit the authority your domain has already earned. A separate domain starts from zero per market.
Does Shopify support country-specific domains?
Yes. International domains require a unique URL per country or region, and Shopify can redirect visitors to the right one automatically.
Can I translate my Shopify URLs?
Handles can be localised per language, but the word 'products' inside the path cannot be translated.
What matters more than URL structure?
Each language having its own crawlable URL, correct hreflang across markets, and sitemap inclusion — plus keeping every new product and page translated after launch.
