The Hreflang tag is a HTML attribute that specifies the language and target geographical location of a webpage to search engine crawl bots.
Hreflang tags are used when a website has the same page, or pages, available in different languages.
These HTML attributes help search engine crawl bots determine which version of a webpage is the most appropriate to show, based on the language or location of the searcher. For example, if you were to make a search on Google for a website using hreflang tags from your location in the UK, you should see the UK version of the site on the search engine results page. If you were to perform the same search from Spain, you should be presented with the Spanish version of the site.
It’s important to note that hreflang tags are a signal to search engine crawl bots to display the most relevant version of the site to the searcher depending on their location or language; however, there is no guarantee that search engines will show this version.
What is the hreflang tag code?
The HTML attribute used to add hreflang tags to the code of your site is as follows:
link rel=”alternate” href=”http://example.com” hreflang=”en-au” />
link rel=”alternate” tells search engines that the link found in this tag is an alternative version of this page.
Hreflang=”en-au” is the language and country code of the alternative version of this page. In this example, ‘en’ indicates English and ‘au’ targets the region of Australia.
href=https://example.com is the URL of the webpage you want to associate with this hreflang code.
Why are hreflang tags important to SEO?
Hreflang tags are valuable to international SEO (search engine optimisation) as they can help display the most relevant version of a webpage to the target audience worldwide. This may ultimately lead to more relevant traffic brought to the website, which may improve conversions.
Hreflang can help improve the click through rate of a website from the search engine results page, as users are more likely to click on a result that is available in their language or targeted to their region.
Implementing hreflang tags can help improve the user experience of a website, as it can direct users to pages written in their native language or allow users to complete a purchase in their country’s currency.
When a user has a positive experience on a website, they’re more likely to trust the site and spend more time engaging with the content. This signals to search engine crawl bots that the content on the website is valuable, which can have a positive impact on search engine rankings.
Hreflang tags can also help a website avoid issues with duplicate content, which can happen when a website features content that is identical, or nearly identical, to other content on the website.
Duplicate content can lead to issues with visibility in the search engine results page as it can confuse search engine crawl bots, as they struggle to decipher which page to display if multiple pages feature the same content.
By implementing hreflang tags, this tells search engines that although the content may be similar, it has been created to target a specific audience based on their language or region.
Hreflang tags are a crucial addition to your international SEO strategy, as they can help enhance the geographical targeting of a website, which can improve the levels of relevant traffic driven to the site, and ultimately, the conversions made by these visitors.
Need help targeting your website in multiple languages or regions? Contact the team of SEO experts at Engage Web today.
- Google tests addition of sitelink carousels on desktop search - January 16, 2025
- Growing height of Google’s AI Overviews is taking over the SERPs - January 9, 2025
- Google to introduce new ‘AI Mode’ feature to search - December 23, 2024
