Technical Seo
Hreflang
An HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and regional version of a page to serve to users. It prevents duplicate content issues across international versions of your site.
Why Hreflang Matters for SEO
If you serve content in multiple languages or regions, hreflang ensures the right version shows to the right audience. Without it, Google might show your US English page to Australian users or your French page to Canadian French speakers incorrectly.
How Hreflang Works
You add hreflang annotations via link elements in the head, HTTP headers, or XML sitemap. Each annotation pairs a URL with a language-region code (e.g., en-au, fr-ca). Every page must reference all its alternates, including itself, and the references must be reciprocal.
Common Mistakes
- Missing return tags, so page A references page B but B doesn't reference A back
- Using incorrect language or country codes
- Not including a self-referencing hreflang tag on each page
Sources & Further Reading: