If your website targets an international audience, simply translating content isn’t enough. Search engines need to understand which version of your website to show to users in different languages or regions. This is where hreflang comes in. By correctly implementing alternate URLs, you can improve user experience, avoid duplicate content issues, and ensure that your content reaches the right audience in the right language.
What is Hreflang?
Introduced by Google in December 2011, hreflang is an HTML attribute that signals to search engines the relationship between different language or regional versions of the same page. Essentially, it tells search engines, “This page has other versions in different languages or regions.”
A basic implementation looks like this:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es" href="https://example.com/es/" />
In this example, Google will recognise that a Spanish version of the page exists and can serve it to users in Spain or those with Spanish-language preferences.
Hreflang can also specify regional variations of the same language. For example, Spanish content for Spain (es-ES) differs slightly from Spanish content for Mexico (es-MX):
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es-ES" href="https://example.com/es-es/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es-MX" href="https://example.com/es-mx/" />
Why Hreflang Matters for SEO
Without hreflang, search engines may treat multiple language versions of your website as duplicate content, which can hurt your rankings. While the canonical tag tells search engines which page is the “main” version, hreflang tags inform them which page is appropriate for a specific language or region.
Even though language tags don’t directly improve rankings, it ensures the right content is served to the right users, reducing bounce rates and improving engagement – factors that indirectly benefit SEO.
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How Hreflang Works
This attribute can be implemented in three main ways:
1. HTML <head> section: Most common for standard web pages. Each page should include links to all language versions, including itself.
<link rel=”alternate” href=”https://example.com/” hreflang=”en” />
<link rel=”alternate” href=”https://example.com/es/” hreflang=”es” />
<link rel=”alternate” href=”https://example.com/de/” hreflang=”de” />
2. HTTP headers: Useful for non-HTML files, such as PDFs. The syntax is similar:
Link: <https://example.com/es/manual.pdf>; rel="alternate"; hreflang="es"
3. XML sitemaps: Best for large-scale websites with many multilingual pages. Each URL includes all alternate language links, for example:
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/</loc>
<xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/" />
<xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="es" href="https://example.com/es/" />
<xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://example.com/de/" />
</url>
</urlset>
A critical point is that alternate URLs must be bidirectional. That is, each language version must reference all other versions, including itself, to ensure search engines understand the full structure of your website.
If this setup already feels complex, that’s because it is. We help businesses audit, implement, and maintain technically sound international setups that scale properly and don’t fall apart over time. Learn how our technical SEO specialists identify and fix structural issues before they impact performance.
Using x-default for Unknown Languages
Sometimes users arrive at your site with a language preference that isn’t available. The x-default hreflang tag lets search engines know which version should be shown as a fallback:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/" />
This ensures visitors don’t land on the wrong language page, improving both user experience and SEO outcomes.
Common Errors to Avoid
Implementing geotargeting signals incorrectly can reduce its effectiveness. Here are common mistakes:
- Missing self-references: Each page must include an hreflang tag pointing to itself.
- Incorrect ISO codes: Always follow ISO 639-1 for language codes and ISO 3166-1 for regions. For example, use en-gb for the UK, not en-uk.
- Outdated or broken URLs: Ensure all URLs in the tags actually exist.
- Conflicts with canonical tags: Avoid using canonical and hreflang together on the same page if it could cause contradictory signals.
- Ignoring x-default: Failing to set a default page may reduce the reach of your multilingual content.
These issues rarely appear in isolation. On large or multi-region websites, they usually point to deeper structural problems that need a joined-up SEO approach. Our enterprise SEO team works with complex sites to resolve these risks at scale and keep international visibility stable as your business grows.
Best Practices for Implementation
- Use consistent URLs across all language versions to avoid confusion and ensure search engines index the correct pages.
- Ensure bidirectional linking among all versions – each page should reference every other relevant language version, including itself.
- Specify a default page using x-default for users whose language or region isn’t explicitly listed.
- Verify hreflang with reliable tools:
- SISTRIX Generator – automatically creates accurate tags for HTML or sitemap integration.
- SISTRIX Validator – checks correctness and highlights missing or mismatched tags.
- Google Search Console – monitors international targeting and identifies potential errors.
- Hreflang Checker – quickly inspects all hreflang tags on a given page.
- For large websites, consider implementing these tags in XML sitemaps to streamline management and reduce errors across hundreds or thousands of pages.
- Regularly audit your setup, especially after URL or content changes, to prevent broken references and outdated tags.
- Double-check ISO language and country codes to ensure correct implementation (en-gb for UK English, not en-uk).
Hreflang Tags and Website Performance
Proper use of hreflang tags ensures that your website performs optimally for an international audience. Search engines serve the correct language version to users, decreasing bounce rates and improving engagement metrics. This indirectly supports SEO by enhancing the website’s credibility and user satisfaction.
In addition, correctly implemented alternate URLs reduces the risk of duplicate content issues, which can otherwise dilute your ranking potential. For companies targeting multiple regions, this makes alternate URLs a foundational part of their SEO strategy.
Optimise Your Multilingual Website Effectively
Hreflang is essential for websites targeting multiple languages or regions. By signalling to search engines which version of your page is appropriate for each audience, you can improve user experience, avoid duplicate content issues, and enhance the effectiveness of your SEO strategy.
Whether you implement it in HTML, HTTP headers, or sitemaps, following best practices and avoiding common errors ensures that your international website reaches the right users at the right time. Tools like SISTRIX and Google Search Console simplify this process, making the implementation manageable even for large websites.Investing the effort into properly using hreflang will pay off in long-term visibility, engagement, and international growth.