Questions
- What is hreflang in SEO?
- Why does Google need hreflang tags?
- Does hreflang improve rankings?
- What happens if hreflang is missing?
Description
Google hreflang is an SEO attribute that helps search engines display the correct language version of a page to users based on their language or location. This KB explains how hreflang works and why it is essential for multilingual websites.
Solution
- Identify all language versions of a page
- Assign a unique URL to each language
- Add hreflang tags in the page header or sitemap
- Include a fallback using x-default
- Verify implementation using Google Search Console
💡 Things to keep in mind
-
Hreflang does not boost rankings — it improves relevance
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Always combine hreflang with proper canonical URLs
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Missing hreflang may cause Google to show the wrong language page