Hreflang and international SEO: improving global ranking

When we talk about international SEO, the hreflang attribute is key to telling Google which version of your website to show based on the user’s language or region. It is a basic and key element if we want to work on international SEO aspects for any project, especially when we don’t have a territorial domain that predefines this goal.

What is the hreflang attribute?

hreflang is an HTML tag that informs search engines about the language and region a page is intended for. This is useful to avoid showing a page in the wrong language to users in other countries. For example, you may have Spanish versions for Spain and English for the U.S., and with hreflang, you ensure users see the correct version.

For more details, check out the official Google documentation on hreflang.

How is it implemented?

The hreflang can be added directly in the page's HTML and/or in the sitemap. A basic example would be:

The elements we see in the code are:

• href: URL of the page in the specific language.
• hreflang: The language code and, optionally, the country in the ISO 639-1 format for the language (like "es" for Spanish, "fr" for French) and the country code according to ISO 3166-1 Alpha 2 (like "mx" for Mexico).
• x-default: Used to indicate the default version of the page for users whose language or country doesn’t have a specific version.

Its importance for international SEO

• Avoid duplicate content: Hreflang helps prevent Google from interpreting your regional or multilingual versions as duplicate content. You may even have identical or very similar content versions for several countries, and this way, you can rank without being penalized.
• Better user experience: Ensures that users, when performing a Google search, see the right version of your website according to their language and region, improving their experience.
• International visibility: Increases the chances of your site being visible in the right countries.

Implementation in WordPress with WPML

If you’re using WordPress with WPML, it automatically handles the hreflang tags. Once the languages are set up in WPML, it generates the necessary tags without manual intervention. You can leave the language as it is or add a tag to geolocate it.

Implementation in PrestaShop

PrestaShop includes hreflang automatically when you configure different languages for your store, very similarly to WordPress. Check that the tags are added correctly and use additional modules if necessary.

Implementation in Shopify

Shopify does not automatically add hreflang. You need to use apps like Langify or WeGlot to manage the implementation, or manually add the tags in the theme code.

Frequently asked questions about hreflang

Can I implement hreflang on a website with only one language?

It doesn’t make sense to implement hreflang if your site is in only one language. It’s only needed when you have multiple versions of the same page in different languages or regions.

Is there an official Google tool to check if it’s properly implemented?

You could use Google Search Console to review the implementation of hreflang, specifically the "International Targeting Report" and the URL Inspection tool. This is no longer available, so you’ll need to use external validators.

Can I use hreflang on a multi-domain website?

Yes, hreflang works on both subfolder-based and multi-domain websites. Just make sure to link the versions correctly between them.

Can I rank the same URL in one language for multiple countries?

Yes, you can use the same URL and hreflang tags to target multiple countries that share the same language, like Spanish for several Latin American countries.

What happens if I have a multilingual website but not all pages are translated?

You shouldn’t include hreflang for versions that don’t exist. Use the x-default tag to redirect to the default page when translations are missing.