Structuring addresses.
THE COMMON STRUCTURE
yourdomain.com/ for the default yourdomain.com/fr/ for French
Consistent and clear.
WHETHER TO TRANSLATE THE SLUGS
Translated slugs are better for local search and users.
They also complicate management.
For most sites, translating the main page slugs is worth it.
WHAT MUST BE CONSISTENT
The structure. Every language following the same pattern.
WHAT TO AVOID
Mixed structures Language indicated by a parameter rather than a path Changing the structure after launch
THAT LAST POINT
Changing URL structure means redirecting every page in every language.
Decide once.
FOR THE DEFAULT LANGUAGE
Either at the root, or in its own directory.
Root is simpler for an existing site adding languages.
WHAT TO PRESERVE
Existing URLs, if you are adding languages to a live site.
Your current pages should not move.
