4 URL Formats — Directory, Subdomain, Parameter, or Domain
Lang Forge supports every URL format Google recognizes for multilingual sites, so you can match whatever international SEO strategy fits your business.
The four options
1. Directory (recommended for most sites)
example.com/en/blog-post/
example.com/de/blog-post/
example.com/fr/blog-post/The default language can optionally live at the root (example.com/blog-post/) or under its own directory (example.com/en/blog-post/). Directory URLs keep all language versions under one domain, which means they share domain authority and are the simplest to configure.
Best for: Most WordPress sites. Low configuration, clean URLs, shared SEO across languages.
2. Parameter
example.com/blog-post/?lang=de
example.com/blog-post/?lang=frThe language is passed as a query parameter. Lang Forge still emits correct hreflang tags and Google treats each parameterized URL as a distinct page.
Best for: Sites with rewrite rule restrictions (some shared hosts), or sites where a directory structure would conflict with existing URLs.
3. Subdomain
en.example.com/blog-post/
de.example.com/blog-post/
fr.example.com/blog-post/Each language lives on its own subdomain. This requires DNS configuration (a wildcard A record or individual subdomains) but gives you a cleaner separation if you want different server or CDN behavior per language.
Best for: Large sites that want per-language server configuration, or sites that already have a subdomain structure for other reasons.
4. Domain mapping
example.com/blog-post/
example.de/blog-post/
example.fr/blog-post/Each language has its own top-level domain. This is the strongest international signal for Google and gives you the full per-country domain identity. It’s also the most expensive and most complex to set up.
Best for: Businesses that want a localized brand per market, or that already own country-specific domains.
Visual setup, not settings files
Lang Forge presents all four options as visual radio cards in Settings → URL Format. Pick the one you want, click save, and you’re done. No editing wp-config.php. No rewrite-rule surgery. No plugin-stacking.
SEO implications of each format
| Format | Domain authority shared? | Google signal | Setup complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directory | Yes | Neutral | Low |
| Parameter | Yes | Neutral | Low |
| Subdomain | Partially | Weak per-country | Medium |
| Domain mapping | No | Strongest per-country | High |
For the majority of sites, directory URLs give you the best balance of SEO and simplicity. Lang Forge can migrate between formats later if you change your mind — update the setting and the plugin regenerates the URL structure.
Fallback behavior
Whichever format you choose:
- Canonical URLs are generated correctly for every translation
- Hreflang tags use absolute URLs matching the chosen format
- The XML sitemap lists every language version with the correct URL
- Redirects are set up from the old format to the new format when you migrate
“Hide default language” option
If your default language is English and you’ve chosen the directory format, you can optionally hide /en/ from URLs and serve the default language at the root of your site. This is a single checkbox and Lang Forge handles the rewrite rules automatically.
Ready to configure your multilingual URLs properly?
All four URL formats are available in every paid plan and the free version.