Multilingual online stores: RU/UZ without losing SEO
Bilingual support in Uzbekistan is a market requirement, not an option. Here is how to build a RU/UZ online store so both languages get indexed and sell.
Why auto-translation doesn't solve this
Auto-translate widgets like Google Translate change text only on the user's screen, while the underlying HTML stays in one language. Search engines index that underlying code, so the second language never enters search.
Real multilingual support requires separate URLs per language with genuinely translated, database-stored content, not on-the-fly substitution.
URL structure for two languages
A workable scheme for Uzbekistan is a language prefix in the path: /ru/catalog/... and /uz/catalog/.... It's simpler to implement than subdomains and doesn't dilute domain authority across versions.
Each language version needs its own slug, not just an interface language toggle on the same URL — 'nike-sneakers' in Russian and its Uzbek equivalent should be distinct pages.
Hreflang and canonical links
The hreflang tag on every page must point to the matching page in the other language, or Google may show users the wrong language version in results, or treat the pages as duplicates.
The most common mistake: hreflang is set on only part of the catalog pages rather than all of them, causing uneven indexing between the two languages.
What not to translate mechanically
Category names, meta tags, slugs and product page copy need thoughtful translation by a native speaker rather than a built-in translator — machine-translated Uzbek in commercial copy reads unnaturally and erodes trust.
Check number formats, city names and currency separately: mechanical translation sometimes changes price formatting or confuses units of measurement.