Hreflang
HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and regional version of a page to show to users in different countries. Gets it wrong more often than right - over 75% of implementations have errors.
Why It Matters
If your site serves content in multiple languages or targets multiple countries, hreflang is how you tell Google which version to show where. Without it, Google might show your English page to French users, or your Australian page to American users.
The problem is that hreflang is notoriously difficult to implement correctly. It requires bidirectional confirmation (page A must reference page B, and page B must reference page A), consistent URL patterns, and valid language-region codes. One mistake can break the entire implementation.
In Practice
Only implement hreflang if you genuinely serve different content to different language or regional audiences. If you have one English site targeting everyone, you don't need it.
For implementation, you have three options: HTML link elements in the head, HTTP headers, or XML sitemap entries. Sitemaps are usually cleanest for large sites. HTML tags work well for smaller sites.
Always include a self-referencing hreflang tag on every page. Always include an x-default tag pointing to your primary/fallback version. Validate your implementation with a tool like Ahrefs or hreflang.org - manual checking at scale is impossible.
Common Mistakes
Missing return tags (the most common error). Using wrong language codes (e.g. "uk" instead of "en-GB"). Implementing hreflang on pages that are identical across regions. Forgetting the x-default tag.
Related Terms
Glossary
Technical SEO
Optimising your site's infrastructure so search engines can crawl, render, and index it.
Glossary
Canonical Tag
Tells search engines which version of a page is the original when duplicates exist.
Glossary
Indexing
Adding a crawled page to Google's database so it can appear in search results.
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