Publishing in Hindi, Marathi and other Indian languages reaches people who search and ask AI assistants in those languages, and competition is often lower than in English. To do it well, give each language its own URLs, write or carefully review content natively rather than publishing raw machine translation, research how people actually search, including in Roman script, set the lang attribute and hreflang correctly, and keep business details consistent across languages. Google’s AI Overviews support Hindi, and voice search works in several Indian languages.
Why Indian languages matter
Many Indians prefer to read and search in their own language, especially on mobile and by voice. Google expanded AI Overviews to India in August 2024 with support for Hindi, and its voice search supports Hindi, Marathi and other Indian languages. For many local and consumer topics, good content in these languages is scarce, which makes it easier for a well-written page to stand out.
How people search in Indian languages
People search in native script, such as Devanagari, and also in Roman script, typing Hindi or Marathi words in English letters, for example “ghar ke liye loan” or “javalcha dentist”. Keyword research should cover both, using Search Console queries, Google’s autocomplete in both scripts, and the words customers use in calls and WhatsApp messages.
Structure: one URL per language
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Separate URLs, such as /hi/ and /mr/ subfolders | Switching language on the same URL with a cookie or script |
| A lang attribute on each page: hi, mr | Leaving lang=”en” on Hindi pages |
| hreflang linking equivalent pages, with x-default | Auto-redirecting visitors by browser language |
| A visible language switcher with real links | Hiding language options in a script-only menu |
Technical details are in implementing hreflang.
Write natively, or review carefully
- Content written by a native speaker reads naturally and uses the words people search.
- Machine translation can speed up drafting, but must be reviewed and edited by a fluent speaker. Unreviewed translated pages published at scale can fall under Google’s policy on scaled content abuse, and they read poorly.
- Localise, not just translate: examples, units, local terms and references that fit the audience.
- Keep technical and brand terms that people actually use in English, such as product names, in English if that is how they are searched.
Which pages to translate first
- Pages for local customers: contact, locations, services and prices.
- Answers to the most common customer questions, from support and sales.
- Guides on topics where search demand in the language is strong and existing content is weak.
Keep facts consistent
Business name, address, phone, prices and hours must match exactly across language versions and your Google Business Profile. Use the same structured data on every version, with the page’s language.
Technical checks for Indian scripts
- Use UTF-8 everywhere.
- Use fonts that support Devanagari and other scripts; system fonts and Noto fonts cover them well.
- URLs can use transliterated English slugs, which are easier to share, or native script; be consistent.
- Check that titles and descriptions display correctly in search results and when shared on WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
Will Hindi pages compete with our English pages?
Not if they are linked with hreflang. Google shows the version that matches the searcher’s language.
Do AI assistants answer in Hindi from Hindi pages?
Assistants can answer in Hindi and may draw on Hindi sources where they exist. Clear Hindi pages give them something accurate to use.
Is Romanised Hindi content worth publishing?
Most sites publish in native script and make sure Roman-script searches are covered by the vocabulary used. Test with your own audience.
Sources
- Google, expansion of AI Overviews to India, August 2024
- Google Search Central, “Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites”
- Google Search Central, “Spam policies for Google web search” (scaled content abuse)