Multilingual Website Guide: Hindi and English Sites That Rank in Both Languages
How to build a bilingual Hindi-English or multilingual website: URL structure, hreflang, translation quality, fonts, language switchers, and SEO for each language.
Quick answer: give each language its own URL (for example /hi/ for Hindi), connect equivalent pages with hreflang tags, use proper human-reviewed translations, let users switch languages without being forced by IP, and optimise titles and content separately for searches in each language.
Why add Hindi or regional languages?
A large and growing share of Indian internet users prefer content in their own language. Local services, education, healthcare, government-adjacent services, and consumer brands can reach far more people, and competition in Hindi search results is often lower than in English.
URL structure options
| Option | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subdirectory | example.com/hi/ | Recommended for most sites; shares domain authority |
| Subdomain | hi.example.com | More separation, more setup |
| URL parameter | example.com/?lang=hi | Not recommended for SEO |
hreflang: tell Google which page is which
On each page, list its language versions with hreflang annotations, for example en-IN and hi-IN, plus an x-default. Every version must reference the others. Next.js supports this through the alternates.languages field in the Metadata API.
Translation quality
- Machine translation is a draft, not a final version. Have a fluent speaker review it.
- Translate the meaning, not word for word; many Hindi readers use common English terms like "website" or "app".
- Translate titles, meta descriptions, alt text, buttons, and form messages, not only body text.
Keyword research per language
People search differently in each language, and many type Hindi words in Latin script (Hinglish). Research what your audience actually types and optimise each version separately.
Design and technical details
- Use web fonts with good Devanagari support and test line heights, since Hindi text needs more vertical space.
- Set the
langattribute correctly on each page. - Place a clear language switcher in the header that links to the equivalent page, not the homepage.
- Do not auto-redirect by location or browser language; suggest instead, and remember the user's choice.
- Include all language versions in your sitemap.
Content management
Your CMS should link translations of the same page together and show which pages are missing a translation. Launch with your most important pages first rather than translating everything at once.
Planning a bilingual site? See website development or tell me which languages you need. Related: technical SEO checklist.
