If you run a small business serving customers in Romania and abroad, a bilingual website can be a practical starting point. The task involves more than translating your copy: you need two versions that are easy to use and maintain. Plan your URL structure, language switcher and relationships between pages together.
1. Subdirectories, subdomains or separate domains?
A multilingual website can use any of these approaches. The differences concern maintenance, brand identity and target markets rather than one option being universally better.
Subdirectories: both languages within one website
This approach groups pages into directories such as /ro/ and /en/ under the same domain. You can also keep Romanian at the root and place English under /en/ if that makes sense for your existing website.
- Advantages: you maintain one domain and can manage content within one installation if your platform supports it.
- Things to consider: separate navigation, translated URLs and the correct settings for each language.
- A good fit for: a small business using the same brand and offering similar services to both audiences.
For a new project, subdirectories are often a practical choice. They do not remove the need to maintain translations and check each version separately.
Subdomains: a clearer technical separation
Subdomains distinguish language versions through a prefix, such as “ro” or “en”, before the main domain. They can use different configurations or applications.
- Advantages: greater technical independence and scope for separate teams or publishing workflows.
- Things to consider: DNS settings, HTTPS certificates, traffic measurement and maintenance of separate components.
- A good fit for: projects where technical separation serves a genuine purpose.
A subdomain does not necessarily require a separate installation, but it does not automatically make administration simpler either.
Separate domains: distinct local or commercial identities
You can use one domain for Romania and another for your international audience. Before choosing this approach, check name availability and the requirements for domain registration.
- Advantages: flexibility for different brands, offers and markets.
- Things to consider: managing and renewing each domain, maintaining technical settings and keeping links between versions up to date.
- A good fit for: distinct local operations or different branding strategies.
A country-code domain can indicate a geographical focus, but language and country are not the same thing. English can serve customers across several countries without requiring a separate domain for each one.
2. Map equivalent pages before translating
List your pages and identify the counterpart for each one. A Romanian service page should connect to the English page describing that same service, not to the homepage or a loosely related category.
A simple planning document can include:
- the Romanian URL and its English equivalent;
- translation status and the person responsible;
- elements requiring adaptation, such as forms, documents, currency or commercial terms;
- the date when both versions were last checked.
You do not have to translate every page immediately. Start with your business introduction, main services and contact information. A news item relevant only to a local audience can remain in Romanian without an artificial English counterpart.
Translate the purpose, not just the sentences. Explain local terminology for international visitors and make it clear where you deliver products or provide services. Adapt page titles, search descriptions, form messages and button labels as well as the main text.
3. Make your language switcher predictable
A language switcher should be easy to find on both desktop and mobile. Labels such as “Română” and “English” are clearer than flags alone: a language does not belong to just one country.
When someone changes language, take them to the equivalent page. If they are reading about a service, preserve that context. Sending them back to the homepage every time forces them to find the information again.
- Use accessible links that also work with keyboard navigation.
- Make the current language clear.
- If a translation is missing, explain this or avoid presenting the option as though the translated page exists.
- Check the switcher on less prominent pages, not just in the main navigation.
You can suggest a language based on browser preferences, but avoid forcing automatic redirects based on language or IP address. Visitors may prefer a different version, and these redirects can complicate access and indexing. A manual choice should remain available.
4. What hreflang does, and what it does not replace
The hreflang attribute helps search engines understand which pages are language or regional alternatives of the same content. It is a signal for selecting an appropriate version, not a promise of better rankings.
For a Romanian and English website, the language codes “ro” and “en” are usually sufficient. Add a region only when content explicitly targets a particular market. For English aimed at the United Kingdom, the regional code is “GB”, not “UK”.
Follow these principles when implementing it:
- Each page in a set of equivalent pages lists all versions, including its own URL.
- References are reciprocal: the Romanian page points to the English version, and the English page points back.
- URLs are absolute and complete, leading to accessible pages without unnecessary redirects.
- Relationships connect equivalent pages, not every page across the website.
Depending on your platform, you can declare these relationships in the technical head section of a page, in an XML sitemap or through HTTP headers. Choose an approach you can maintain consistently; there is no need to duplicate methods without a reason.
The optional x-default value can identify a neutral language selection page or a default version for users whose preferences are not otherwise covered. It is not required for every bilingual website.
Hreflang does not replace the language switcher, translation or the document’s lang attribute. It does not replace canonical URLs either: an indexable translation should normally have its own canonical URL, rather than all languages pointing canonically to Romanian.
5. Publish and test the complete visitor journey
Before implementation, check whether your platform and web hosting service support your chosen structure. If you use WordPress, assess how your multilingual solution works with your theme, forms and WordPress hosting service.
- Set your URL structure. Avoid later changes without a redirect plan.
- Configure languages and page relationships. Check navigation and translated URLs.
- Test your forms. Include validation messages, confirmations and emails sent to visitors.
- Review technical signals. Check hreflang, canonical URLs, document language and whether pages are accessible for indexing.
- Browse on mobile. Follow the journey from a service page to contacting your business in both languages.
Whenever you update a page, review its counterpart too. An offer changed in only one language can create conflicting expectations even when the technical implementation is correct.
6. Conclusion: choose a structure you can maintain
For a small business, subdirectories are a reasonable starting point when the brand and services remain the same. Choose subdomains or separate domains when there are clear technical or commercial reasons.
Start with essential pages, map their equivalents and test the language switcher. Then review hreflang and the other technical settings. A useful multilingual website helps customers find clear, current information, whichever language they choose.
