How to Implement Hreflang Tags for International SEO
Hreflang tags tell search engines which language and regional version of a page to show users. Learn proper implementation to avoid duplicate content issues.
Key Takeaways
- Hreflang signals to search engines that multiple versions of a page exist in different languages or for different regions.
- <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/page" />
- Every page must include a hreflang tag pointing to itself.
- Hreflang tags must be reciprocal.
- The `x-default` hreflang indicates the default or fallback page for users whose language/region doesn't match any specific version.
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What Hreflang Does
Hreflang signals to search engines that multiple versions of a page exist in different languages or for different regions. Without hreflang, Google might show the English page to French users, or treat translations as duplicate content.
Syntax
Self-Referencing Required
Every page must include a hreflang tag pointing to itself. If the French page links to the English version, it must also link to itself as the French version.
Return Tags Required
Hreflang tags must be reciprocal. If Page A references Page B, Page B must reference Page A. Missing return tags cause Google to ignore the hreflang.
x-default
The x-default hreflang indicates the default or fallback page for users whose language/region doesn't match any specific version. Typically points to the English version or a language-selection page.
Implementation Methods
Hreflang can be implemented via HTML tags, HTTP headers (for non-HTML resources), or XML sitemaps. Sitemaps are recommended for sites with many languages because they don't add markup to every page.
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