Hreflang
Commonly known as one of the most complex areas of technical SEO, hreflang tags are used to inform search engines of different country and language versions of a site. There are a lot of complex factors to consider to ensure the correct implementation of these tags and our SEO Office Hours notes cover many real-world scenarios and Google’s recommended course of action.
For more on international website optimization, check out our further resources:
The Ultimate Guide to International SEO
An SEO’s Guide to Hreflang Tags
The Challenges of Website Internationalization for Users & Search Engines
The Most Common Mistakes in International SEO
All Methods For Implementing Hreflang Are Seen as Equivalent
All hreflang implementation methods are seen as equivalent by Google, but use one method consistently across your site as Google may not use any hreflang for a page if there are multiple versions.
Hreflang Tags on Separate Mobile Pages Should Point to Mobile Equivalent
Different language versions on separate mobile sites should have hreflang tags pointing to an equivalent mobile page not an equivalent desktop page.
Hreflang Doesn’t Affect Rankings
Hreflang doesn’t change rankings. Google simply switches out the highest ranking URL and tries to best serve user intent.
Markup Needs to Remain the Same on Desktop and Mobile Page for Mobile-first
Identical content across mobile and desktop versions of a page isn’t enough to comply with Mobile-first Indexing. Hidden markup like structured data, hreflang tags and links for AMP should also be equivalent.
Hreflang Takes Precedence Over URL When Conflict Exists Between Language & Location Information
If the country or language codes conflict between the URL directory structure or query parameters and the hreflang then John thinks that the latter would take precedence e.g. if EN was featured in the URL and DE in hreflang markup, hreflang would be used by Google.
Use Same Hreflang Markup On Separate Mobile as on Desktop Site
For mobile pages, Google recommends having the same hreflang markup as on desktop pages – they should be equivalent in terms of metadata and content.
Hreflang For Different Languages is Useful for Brand Searches
If you have websites in completely different languages, hreflang is most useful for brand searches. if Google is already returning the correct pages for different language searches, you probably don’t need to set up hreflang
Use Info: to Find Canonical URLs for Hreflang Tags
If your hreflang tags point to non-canonical URLs, they won’t be accepted. Check the canonical for any URL by searching for it with info:
Google May Override Hreflang for Some Searches
Google may choose a different page to the one specified in hreflang based on signals which suggest it better matches the user’s intent.
Near Identical Pages with HREFLANG may be Rolled Together
If you have identical pages which only differ a very small amount, such as a currency, Google may roll the pages together, but use HREFLANG to decide which one to show in search results.