Term
Hreflang
A tag by which a multilingual site tells search engines which page is a language version of another and which language or country it is meant for. It is why a Slovak sees the Slovak version and a Ukrainian the Ukrainian one.
Updated
What it means
Hreflang is a tag in a page’s code or in the XML sitemap by which a multilingual site tells search engines that a page has versions in other languages or for other countries, and at which addresses. The search engine then shows each person the version in their language.
Each language version should reference all the others, itself included, and the relationship must be reciprocal. If the Slovak page points to the Russian one, the Russian page must point back. An x-default version is often added for visitors whose language the site does not support.
Hreflang does not affect ranking; it selects the right version. It also helps stop search engines treating similar language versions as duplicate content. It works alongside the canonical URL, which for each version should point to that version itself.
How it works in practice
For companies serving clients in several languages, such as Slovak, English, Russian and Ukrainian, hreflang is essential. Without it a Ukrainian client may see the Slovak version in search results and leave because they cannot read it.
On our website every page, including the terms in this glossary, has four language versions linked by hreflang. The addresses of the language versions are stable and contain the language code, which makes it clear to both search engines and visitors where they are.
When auditing a site, we check that hreflang links point to existing, indexed pages, that they are reciprocal and that the language and country codes are correct. Search engines’ webmaster tools also report errors.
What to watch out for
The most common mistake is a one-way link or a link to a page that does not exist. Search engines ignore such hreflang. If only part of a site is translated, only pages that really exist in all the listed languages should be referenced.
The second risk is automatically redirecting every page by browser language. Search engines may then not see all versions. A redirect makes sense at most on the root address; language versions should be reachable directly.
Need the term explained on your own situation? Consulting from €55 / hour excl. VAT, depending on topic and complexity.