Hreflang
An HTML attribute telling search engines which language and region a page targets, so the right version is served to the right audience.
In depth
What it really means
Hreflang solves one problem: you have the same content in several languages or for several markets, and you want each user to land on their version rather than a random one.
It is notoriously easy to get wrong because it must be reciprocal. Every page in a set has to reference every other page in the set, including itself. Miss one return link and the engine ignores the whole cluster.
How it works
- Each page declares link rel=alternate hreflang tags for every language version, including itself.
- The value combines an ISO 639-1 language code with an optional ISO 3166-1 region code, such as en-GB.
- Engines cross-check that every referenced page points back.
- When confirmed, the appropriate version is served based on the user’s language and location.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Serves the right version, which lifts engagement and conversion in each market.
- Prevents international versions competing against each other.
- Consolidates signals across versions rather than splitting them.
Cons
- Reciprocity requirements make it fragile at scale.
- Errors are silent and only visible in Search Console reports.
- It does not prevent duplicate content issues on its own.
Common mistakes
- Missing return links, which invalidates the entire cluster.
- Using an invalid code such as en-UK. The correct region code is GB.
- Omitting the self-referencing hreflang tag.
- No x-default fallback for users who match no version.
- Pointing hreflang at a non-canonical URL, which creates a conflict.
Best practices
- Include a self-referencing tag on every page in the set.
- Add an x-default pointing at your language selector or primary version.
- Use valid ISO codes and check them, since en-UK is the classic error.
- Make hreflang and canonical targets agree.
- Monitor the Search Console international targeting report.
FAQs
What is hreflang?
An HTML attribute declaring which language and region a page targets, so search engines serve the right version to the right user.
Do I need hreflang?
Only if you have the same or very similar content in multiple languages or for multiple regions. A single-language site does not need it.
What is x-default?
The fallback declaration for users whose language and region match none of your versions. It usually points at a language selector or your primary version.
Why is my hreflang not working?
Almost always a missing return link. Every page in the set must reference every other page including itself, or engines ignore the cluster entirely.
Keep reading
Related on LymLyt
Beyond LymLyt
Further reading
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