Can language alternatives live on different domains?

Definition: Yes. Google supports hreflang alternate URLs on different domains. Each URL must be fully qualified, and the language versions must identify the relevant alternatives through reciprocal annotations.

Key facts

• Google's localized versions documentation says that alternate URLs do not need to be in the same domain.
• Each language version lists itself and the other language versions. Alternate URLs include http:// or https://, rather than a protocol-relative or relative URL.
• If two pages do not point to each other, Google ignores the tags between them. Google can still process links that point to each other when a complete set is difficult to maintain.
• Google's multi-regional site documentation recommends different URLs for different languages and hreflang annotations for those URLs.
• When similar or duplicate content in the same language appears at different URLs, Google recommends choosing a preferred version and using rel="canonical" with hreflang.

How does a cross-domain hreflang set work?

The domain boundary does not change the set structure. Every language version describes the set, including its own URL. Google calls these pages localized variations of the same content. The alternate URL must be a complete URL with its transport method, such as https://example.com/foo.

Google's example uses one link element for each language or region version:

<head>
 <title>Widgets, Inc</title>
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-GB"
       href="https://en-gb.example.com/page.html" />
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-US"
       href="https://en-us.example.com/page.html" />
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en"
       href="https://en.example.com/page.html" />
  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="de"
       href="https://de.example.com/page.html" />
 <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default"
       href="https://www.example.com/" />
</head>

The example is a syntax model. The relevant cross-domain rule is that the alternate URLs do not have to share a domain.

Which methods can carry the alternates?

Google documents three equivalent methods: HTML, HTTP headers, and an XML sitemap. The documentation says that using all three has no benefit in Search and can make maintenance harder. A site can therefore choose the method that fits its page type and publishing system.

For a non-HTML file such as a PDF, Google documents a Link response header. The header returned for every version of the page is identical:

Link: <url1>; rel="alternate"; hreflang="lang_code_1", <url2>; rel="alternate"; hreflang="lang_code_2", ...

In an XML sitemap, each URL entry lists every language or locale variant, including itself. Google also states that if a page has three versions, the sitemap has an entry for each version and each entry has the same three child entries.

What should a site check beyond the domain name?

Google recommends distinct URLs for language versions instead of changing the language through cookies or browser settings. Its multi-regional guidance says that dynamically changing or rerouting content can leave Google unable to find and crawl all variations because Googlebot usually originates from the United States.

For same-language regional copies, the issue is also canonicalization. Google's example uses example.de/ and example.com/de/ for similar German content, then says to choose a preferred version and use rel="canonical" and hreflang. This is a separate decision from whether the alternate URLs may use different domains.

Related terms

• hreflang
• Can hreflang links use relative URLs?
• How do I check reciprocal hreflang links between translations?
• Which canonical should a page in an hreflang cluster use?

FAQ

Can the language versions use different top-level domains?

Yes. Google's localized versions guidance permits alternate URLs that are not in the same domain. Use complete URLs and maintain the reciprocal references between the versions.

Must every page list every alternate URL?

Google's general rule is that each version lists itself and all other versions. If a complete bidirectional set is difficult, Google says it can process the links that point to each other.

Should the same alternates be added in HTML, headers, and a sitemap?

Google documents HTML, HTTP headers, and XML sitemaps as equivalent methods. It says there is no Search benefit to using all three and that managing three implementations can be harder.

Sources

1. Google Search Central, "Localized Versions of your Pages", 21 September 2026
2. Google Search Central, "Managing Multi-Regional and Multilingual Sites", 10 December 2025

---

Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer