hreflangtagging

Hreflang tagging is the practice of using link elements with rel="alternate" hreflang attributes to signal to search engines the language and regional targeting of alternate versions of a page. It helps search engines serve the most appropriate page to users based on their language and location, and it helps reduce duplicate content across language variants.

Codes use ISO standards: the language code (ISO 639-1) and, optionally, a region code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2). Examples: en, en-us, en-gb, fr-fr, es-es. A non-specific fallback can be indicated with x-default. Pages link to each other using HTML in the head or via a sitemap, or via HTTP headers. For example, a page might include links for en, en-us, fr-fr, and x-default.

Implementation best practices: include a self-referential tag on each page and mutually link all language/region versions, with correct full URLs. Keep consistency across domains or directories; if a page lacks a particular variant, do not omit the missing link from others. Use correct language and region codes that reflect the page content. Ensure you have live pages for every listed variant and avoid pointing at generic or unrelated content.

Limitations: hreflang does not guarantee rankings or indexing speed; it primarily guides the serving of the correct version and can help with international SEO, but it must be maintained like any other content signal. Regularly audit tags for accuracy and coverage.