Hreflang tags are a powerful SEO tool that helps search engines understand the language and geographic targeting of your web pages. They are essential for websites with multilingual or multi-regional content, as they ensure that users are shown the correct language or country version of a page based on their location or language preferences.
However, hreflang tag misconfigurations are common and can lead to significant SEO problems. If hreflang tags are not set up correctly, search engines may serve the wrong language or region version of your site to users, causing confusion, poor user experience, and potential ranking drops. Additionally, misconfigurations can lead to duplicate content issues, harming your website’s SEO performance.
Table of Contents
- What Are Hreflang Tags?
- Why Hreflang Tags Are Important for SEO
- Common Hreflang Tag Misconfigurations
- How to Implement Hreflang Tags Correctly
- Conclusion
What Are Hreflang Tags?
Hreflang tags are a form of HTML or XML markup used to indicate the language and geographical targeting of web pages. They help search engines like Google serve the right version of a page to users based on their language and location. The basic syntax of an hreflang tag looks like this:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com" hreflang="en">
For multi-language or multi-country websites, hreflang tags inform search engines about alternate versions of a page and which language or region they are meant for. For example:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/en/" hreflang="en">
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/fr/" hreflang="fr">
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/es/" hreflang="es">
This tells search engines that there are different versions of the page for English, French, and Spanish users, and helps serve the appropriate version to the correct audience.
Why Hreflang Tags Are Important for SEO
- Serving the Right Content to the Right Audience Hreflang tags ensure that users are directed to the correct version of your website, providing a better user experience. For example, if someone in France searches for your product, you want to make sure they see the French version of your page, not the English or Spanish version.
- Avoiding Duplicate Content If multiple language versions of a page exist without hreflang tags, search engines might treat them as duplicate content. This can lead to ranking issues as search engines may not know which version to prioritize in search results. Hreflang tags help clarify which page is intended for which audience, thus avoiding duplicate content problems.
- Improved International SEO For businesses targeting multiple countries or regions, hreflang tags help search engines understand which version of a page to rank for specific search queries. This is crucial for improving international SEO and ensuring your content ranks well in the appropriate countries or regions.
Common Hreflang Tag Misconfigurations
Misconfiguring hreflang tags can negate their benefits, and in some cases, harm your SEO. Here are the most common hreflang tag misconfigurations:
1. Missing Self-Referencing Hreflang Tags
Every page that uses hreflang should include a self-referencing hreflang tag, indicating that the page itself is the correct version for its language/region. Failing to include a self-referencing tag can confuse search engines and lead to incorrect indexing.
Example of a correct self-referencing hreflang tag:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/en/" hreflang="en">
If your page is missing this tag, search engines may not understand that this version is intended for certain users, which could result in a mismatch between user intent and search results.
2. Incorrect Language or Region Codes
Hreflang tags must use the correct ISO language and region codes. Common errors include:
- Using non-standard codes (e.g., “eng” instead of “en”).
- Using an incorrect region code or mixing up language and region codes (e.g., “en-us” instead of “en-US”).
Correct example:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/en-us/" hreflang="en-US">
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/en-gb/" hreflang="en-GB">
Using the correct language and region codes ensures that search engines properly understand which version of your page to serve to users in different regions.
3. Missing or Incorrect X-Default Tag
The x-default hreflang tag should be used to specify the default page when no other language or region matches the user’s preference. If you don’t specify an x-default tag, users who fall outside of your defined languages or regions might receive the wrong version of your page, leading to a poor user experience.
Example of an x-default hreflang tag:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/" hreflang="x-default">
This tag signals to search engines which version of the page to show when no specific language or region matches the user’s preferences.
4. Inconsistent Hreflang Tags Across Pages
Hreflang tags must be consistent across all pages. If a page is marked as an alternate version in the hreflang tag of one page, it must reciprocate that reference. Inconsistencies in hreflang tag implementation can lead to indexing errors or confusion for search engines.
For example, if your English page references a French page, the French page must also reference the English page.
Example of consistent hreflang tags: On the English page:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/en/" hreflang="en">
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/fr/" hreflang="fr">
On the French page:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/fr/" hreflang="fr">
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/en/" hreflang="en">
Failing to ensure consistency between pages can lead to misinterpretation by search engines.
5. Incorrect URL References
All URLs in hreflang tags must be absolute and correct. Linking to incorrect, broken, or non-canonical URLs in hreflang tags can confuse search engines and result in the wrong page being served to users. Always use the canonical URL for each language or region version.
Correct example:
<link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/fr/" hreflang="fr">
Ensure that the URL in your hreflang tag is the actual URL that you want indexed and shown to users.
6. Not Using Hreflang Tags on Mobile Sites
For sites that use different URLs for mobile (m.example.com) and desktop versions, hreflang tags must be applied consistently across both versions. Many sites forget to include hreflang tags on mobile pages, which can lead to inconsistent results for mobile users.
Solution: Ensure hreflang tags are correctly implemented on both mobile and desktop versions of your site, particularly if you have region-specific mobile content.
How to Implement Hreflang Tags Correctly
To avoid misconfiguration and make the most of hreflang tags, follow these best practices:
1. Use Self-Referencing Tags
Always include a self-referencing hreflang tag on each page. This ensures that the page itself is included in the list of alternate versions, preventing indexing confusion.
2. Use Correct Language and Region Codes
Refer to the official ISO 639-1 language codes and ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 region codes to ensure you’re using the correct format. Language codes (e.g., “en” for English, “fr” for French) and region codes (e.g., “US” for the United States, “GB” for the United Kingdom) must be correct and consistent.
3. Implement the X-Default Tag
Always include an x-default tag to indicate the default version of your site that should be served when no specific language or region matches the user’s preferences.
4. Ensure Consistency Across All Pages
Every page that references another language or region version must include a reciprocal reference. Consistency between hreflang tags ensures that search engines understand the relationships between different language versions of your content.
5. Regularly Audit Your Hreflang Tags
Use tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs to audit your hreflang tags and check for any errors, inconsistencies, or broken URLs. Regular audits can help you catch and fix hreflang tag issues before they impact your SEO performance.
6. Test Your Hreflang Tags
Google provides a Hreflang Tags Testing Tool within Google Search Console, which can help you validate your hreflang implementation and spot errors like incorrect URLs or mismatched language codes.
Conclusion
Hreflang tags are an essential part of international SEO, ensuring that users see the right version of your content based on their language and geographic location. However, hreflang tag misconfigurations are common and can lead to significant SEO issues, such as serving the wrong page to users, duplicate content problems, and poor rankings in specific regions.
By implementing hreflang tags correctly and following best practices—such as using self-referencing tags, correct language and region codes, and auditing your tags regularly—you can improve your international SEO performance, enhance user experience, and avoid costly indexing errors.