Setting Up a New Shop in Shopware: Multi-Sales-Channel Decisions Explained

When starting a new shop project in Shopware, one of the most overlooked – yet crucial – architectural decisions is how to structure your sales channels.

Should you use different domains for each market, rely on subfolders under a single domain, or set up completely separate sales channels? Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses for SEO, maintenance, and scalability.

In this guide, we’ll explore the three main options, highlight the SEO pitfalls (like duplicate content between .de and .at), and give you a clear framework for making the right decision.

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Option 1: Multiple domains on a single channel

Example setup:

• myshop.de → Germany
• myshop.at → Austria
• myshop.com → international customers

Pros

• Strong local signals (.de, .at build trust)
• Customers immediately recognize a domain that feels “local”

Cons

• If content is identical (e.g. Germany and Austria both in German), Google sees it as duplicate content
• Needs proper hreflang tags and/or localized differences to avoid SEO issues
• Slightly more complex to manage SSL, redirects, and tracking

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Option 2: Subfolders on one main domain

Example setup:

• myshop.com/de → Germany
• myshop.com/at → Austria
• myshop.com/en → international customers

Pros

• All countries benefit from one strong domain authority
• Easier to manage (single SSL, single analytics property)
• Lower risk of duplicate content across markets

Cons

• Less local perception: Austrian customers may trust myshop.at more than myshop.com/at
• Legal or tax differences are harder to reflect in one channel

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Option 3: Separate sales channels with individual domains

Example setup:

• myshop.de → B2C Germany
• myshop.at → B2C Austria
• businessshop.de → B2B customers

Pros

• Maximum flexibility: different assortments, prices, legal texts, shipping methods
• Clear separation between B2B and B2C if needed

Cons

• Highest maintenance effort: products, categories, and CMS content must be updated separately
• Domains may compete with each other in search results
• More technical complexity (plugins, tracking, SSL per domain)

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The duplicate content trap (.de vs .at)

A common mistake: running myshop.de and myshop.at, both in German with nearly identical product and category content.

Google treats this as duplicate content, and one domain will almost always lose rankings.

How to fix it:

• Add hreflang tags to indicate which content belongs to which market
• Introduce small but meaningful differences: local pricing, shipping info, legal texts, or editorial content
• Reconsider if separate ccTLDs are really necessary – subfolders might be the safer SEO play

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Visual comparison

Here’s a radar chart that compares the three approaches across SEO, effort, and flexibility:

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Decision matrix

Option	SEO Impact	Effort	Flexibility	Best for
Multiple domains	+ Local signals, trust - Duplicate content risk	Medium	Medium	Merchants focusing on local branding (.de/.at)
Subfolders	+ Strong domain authority - Less local perception	Low	Medium	SEO-driven, international expansion
Separate channels	+ Full separation - Domains may compete	High	High	B2B/B2C split, different assortments or legal setups

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Conclusion

Shopware gives you full flexibility. The right choice depends on three factors:

• SEO: Avoid duplicate content and configure hreflang correctly
• Business: Are assortments, prices, and legal rules different per market?
• Marketing: Do you need the trust of local ccTLDs, or do you prefer consolidating global SEO power on one domain?

👉 Golden rule: As few channels as possible, as many as necessary.

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Next step

Planning to launch a new Shopware store?

Before making your decision on multi-channel architecture, make sure your setup aligns with your SEO strategy and business goals.

💬 I’ve supported multiple Shopware rollouts – if you’d like insights or a sanity check on your setup, feel free to reach out!