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The Ultimate Guide To Using Hreflang Tags For Multilingual SEO

Learn how to use hreflang tags to optimize your website for multilingual audiences and improve SEO with our ultimate guide.

October 17, 2024
Written by
Matt Lenhard
Reviewed by

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The hreflang attribute is one of the most important tools in any international SEO strategy. If you're running a website with versions targeting different languages or regions, the hreflang tag helps search engines like Google understand which version of a webpage to show to each audience. Implementing hreflang correctly can improve your website’s visibility, user experience, and even conversions by ensuring the right content is displayed to the right users at the right time.

What Is the Hreflang Tag?

Introduced by Google in 2011, the hreflang tag is a piece of HTML code that informs search engines of the geographical or language versions of a page. This tag is particularly useful for websites that have identical or similar content in different languages or target users in different countries.

For example, a company might have a page in English for users in the UK, another in French for users in France, and yet another in Spanish for users in Spain or Latin America. The hreflang tag allows the website to signal these different versions to search engines.

Why Is Hreflang Important?

Without hreflang, search engines may have trouble determining the most relevant page for a user. This can lead to issues like showing an English page to a French-speaking visitor, or vice versa. Other reasons the hreflang tag is important include:

  • Avoiding Duplicate Content Issues: Since language variants of your site can often have similar content, search engines may treat them as duplicates unless specified otherwise using hreflang.
  • Better User Experience: Showing the wrong language or country version of a page can frustrate users and lessen the likelihood of conversion.
  • Improved SEO: Correct hreflang implementation can avoid search ranking issues by ensuring search engines correctly index the appropriate page for a specific geographic audience or language.

How Does Hreflang Work?

The hreflang attribute is added to the website's HTML header section. Here’s the basic syntax:

<link rel="alternate" href="https://www.example.com" hreflang="en-gb" />

The elements of this code are:

  • rel="alternate": This indicates that the link is an alternate version of the original page.
  • href="https://www.example.com": This specifies the URL of the alternate content.
  • hreflang="en-gb": This defines the specific language or geographical targeting of the page—in this case, English for Great Britain.

Let’s look at other hreflang codes:

Hreflang Code Language/Country
en-us English (USA)
fr-fr French (France)
es-es Spanish (Spain)
pt-br Portuguese (Brazil)

You might also want to specify a default version using hreflang="x-default". This helps search engines display the most appropriate version when a preferred content variant is not available. Commonly, this links to an international or global version of the site.

<link rel="alternate" href="https://www.example.com/global" hreflang="x-default" />

Common Issues and Mistakes With Hreflang

While hreflang is a powerful SEO tool, poor implementation can do more harm than good. Here are some common issues you may encounter:

  • Incorrect Language or Country Code: Ensure that the ISO language codes and country codes are properly matched. Incorrect code combinations can confuse search engines. For example, avoid using es-gb for a Spanish speaker in the UK as that's incorrect (instead use es-es).
  • Improper Use of Canonicals: A common mistake is mixing hreflang with canonical tags incorrectly. The canonical tag should always point to the best version of the page, whereas the hreflang tag indicates alternatives. Misconfiguring this can lead to indexing errors.
  • Missing Return Tags: Your hreflang implementation must be reciprocal, or a two-way street. If you add an hreflang tag on an English page pointing to the French page, the French page must also have one pointing back to the English page.

Best Practices for Implementing Hreflang

Implementing hreflang can be tricky, especially for large websites with many regional versions. Let’s break down the best practices for proper hreflang implementation:

  • Identify All Language/Country Versions of Your Pages: Before you start adding hreflang tags, it's crucial to know all the versions of your pages that you'll be working with. Are you targeting only different languages, or are you also targeting users in different countries?
  • Make Each Page Self-Referencing: Each page should be listed in its own hreflang tag. For example, the French page should contain both the hreflang tag for the English version and for itself (French version).
  • Use hreflang="x-default" for Your Global Page: As mentioned earlier, if you have a global page that you serve when no local language version exists, make sure you mark it with hreflang="x-default".
  • Check for Consistency: Ensure that your hreflang tags are consistent across all versions of the site. For example, all your English pages should reference every language version, and those language pages should reference the English versions accordingly.
  • Use Sitemap for Hreflang Implementation: Though adding hreflang directly in the HTML is the most common method, you can also implement it via XML sitemaps. This is particularly useful if you have a large site. Learn more about using sitemaps with hreflang from Google's official documentation.

Validating Hreflang Implementation

After the tags have been implemented, it's crucial to verify that everything is working correctly. Some common tools include:

  • Google Search Console: It provides detailed reports about language targeting issues that can help you catch mistakes quickly in your hreflang tags. Visit the Google Search Console for more information.
  • Screaming Frog: This SEO spider tool can crawl your pages and report on hreflang tags to ensure their correct implementation.
  • Hreflang Testing Tool: Specialized tools exist to test for proper hreflang use. One popular option is the Hreflang Tags Testing Tool by SEO expert Aleyda Solis.

Final Thoughts

The hreflang tag is an essential tool for any website catering to international audiences. When correctly implemented, it improves your users' experience by showing the right version of your site, boosting your international SEO performance. However, as powerful as it is, improper use can confuse search engines and harm your rankings. That's why it’s important to follow the best practices outlined above, avoid common mistakes, and continuously validate your tags using tools like Google Search Console and third-party solutions.

Take the time to understand how hreflang works, and you’ll reap the benefits of a more targeted and structured website that resonates with users from all over the world.

Matt Lenhard
Co-founder & CTO of Positional

Matt Lenhard is the Co-founder & CTO of Positional. Matt is a serial entrepreneur and a full-stack developer. He's built companies in both B2C and B2B and used content marketing and SEO as a primary customer acquisition channel. Matt is a two-time Y Combinator alum having participated in the W16 and S21 batches.

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