Stores page

This page displays all your Shopify stores that are connected to the Hreflang Manager app. Here, it is possible to manage the following settings:

• Choose a store country/countries
• Set up and change the Region-Independent Link (RIL)
• Set up and change the X-default store: regular, alternative, and custom
• Manage domains: add or delete store subdomains

View Hreflang Mapping

Using this feature, you can view all the language-region pairs that will be generated in the hreflang tags. There are two ways of its reflection:

• Hreflang tags: show what exact hreflang tags will be generated on each of your stores' domains
• Language / Country: show what language is set on each of the domains of your store, as well as the countries that the specific domain will be shown for.

Refresh

Our application automatically stays up to date with the changes you make in Shopify Markets. If you notice any discrepancies, you can sync to the latest setup by clicking the Refresh button.

Country Settings

In the Country column, you can configure the country or countries list for which the specific domain, subdomain, or subdirectory will be shown.

To add new countries to the list, you should follow the next instructions:

1. Tap on the pen icon near the row of the needed store.
2. You’ll see the window open, where you can choose all the necessary countries.
3. After choosing the country/countries, tap the “Add Country” button.
4. Save the changes.

In order to delete the country that doesn’t need to be included in the specific domains list:

1. Use the arrow to open the list of all the countries.
2. Delete the unnecessary country or countries using the “x” sign near each of them.
3. Save the changes.

To delete the bulk of the countries, you need to:

1. Tap on the pen icon near the row of the needed store.
2. Use the “-” button to delete all the selected countries from a region group or untick the checkmarks for the unnecessary countries.
3. Tap the “Add Country” button.
4. Save the changes.

Set up of the Region-Independent Link

A Region-Independent Link is a language-specific store that is not tied to any single region. For example, you can have one French-language store serving both France and Canada. Setting that store as a Region-Independent Link means all other French-speaking clients that are outside France or Canada will see this store in their search results.

How to set a Region-Independent Link in the Hreflang Manager app:

1. Go to the Stores page in the Hreflang Manager app.
2. Choose the store you want to set as Region-Independent Link in the RIL column and press the button that indicates the language of that store (in our example fr).
3. Save your changes.

Don’t be afraid to make an incorrect setup of the Region-Independent Link, as in such a case, the application will inform you about it via the “Same language/region selected in multiple stores. Please adjust settings.” error.

This message might appear in 2 cases:

1. A language has been assigned as a Region-Independent Link (RIL) in more than one store. For example:

   The app doesn’t support this configuration, since it contradicts the generally established requirements for the Hreflang tags.

   How to fix: Ensure the Region-Independent Link is enabled for only one domain per language.

2. The same country is listed in the hreflang settings of multiple stores. For example:

   How to fix: Assign that country to the hreflang tags of a single store only.

Set up of the X-default

The X-default store is your fallback option for visitors whose browser language or region doesn’t match any of the languages/regions you’ve set up in the app. For example, if a visitor’s browser is set to Spanish (Mexico) but you don’t have a store for that locale, they’ll be redirected to your X-default store.

How to set X-default in the Hreflang Manager app:

1. Go to the Stores page in the Hreflang Manager app.
2. Choose the store you want to set as X-default in the X-default column and press the button “On” there.
3. Save your changes.

Manage domains

This option allows you to add new domains that weren’t logged in the Shopify Markets to each of the connected stores in the Hreflang Manager app.

To add a new domain, enter it into the respective field and tap on the “+” button.

To delete the added domain, use the bin icon near it.

Alternative X-default

This feature appears on your Stores page only if you turned it on the Settings page in the Alternative X-default & Custom X-default Settings section.

You can set up to three fallback stores that will be displayed when a visitor’s language or region does not match any of your existing hreflang rules. These stores can be arranged in order of priority, for instance:

1. You might first show your US English store
2. Then your UK English store
3. And finally, your EU English store if no match is found

After activating the function in the Settings, you can choose your X-defaults one per store (with a 3 maximum) on the Stores page in the column X-default. The alternative X-defaults will be reflected in the "X-default" section, where you can prioritize them by dragging them in the needed order.

If you prefer to rely on a single option, you can assign one store as the main fallback. The instructions are here.

Custom X-default

This feature appears on your Stores page only if you turned it on the Settings page in the Alternative X-default & Custom X-default Settings section.

As an alternative, instead of sending visitors to a store, you can define a static page that will act as a neutral entry point. A common example is a language or country selector page that allows users to choose their preferred store. This ensures that every visitor reaches a consistent destination, even if their language or region is not directly supported. For example, a Canadian user might land on a page where they can select between English (US) and French (France).

To launch the work of this functionality, simply use the Turn on button.

FAQ about Stores page: