Hreflang Tag

Definition

The hreflang tag is an HTML attribute used to specify the language and geographical targeting of a webpage. Essentially, it tells search engines what language you are using on a specific page, so the search engine can serve that result to users searching in that language.

Hreflang Tag Relevance For SEO

Implementing the hreflang tag is crucial for multilingual websites or websites targeting different regions. It helps search engines understand which language you’re using on a particular page, thereby improving the accuracy of serving results to users based on their location or language preference. This can significantly enhance a website’s SEO performance by reducing duplicate content issues and helping guide users to the appropriate version of the website based on their language or regional settings. This can improve user experience and increase engagement rate.

Hreflang Tag Best Practices for SEO

• Ensure all versions of your website have the hreflang tag implemented to properly inform search engines about the various language versions of your website.
• Use the correct language and country codes as defined by ISO standards. An incorrect hreflang tag can potentially lead search engines to ignore it.
• Avoid confusion by ensuring that each page only has one language version. If there’s more than one language on a page, the hreflang tag may not function correctly.
• Keep in mind to apply self-referential hreflang tags. Every page should include a reference to itself along with references to all other language versions.
• Remember to update your hreflang tags whenever new content is added, or old content is removed or changed. It’s essential to maintain the accuracy of these tags over time.
• Always include the x-default entry to tell search engines what should be the fallback version when a better specific language/region isn’t present.