The hreflang tag is an HTML attribute that helps search engines understand the language and geographic targeting of websites and their content. Es is a crucial factor in SEO localization of multilingual websites.
The hreflang tag tells search engines that certain pages were created specifically for certain languages or regions and should only be served there. For example, an English version of a website might have been created for users in the U.S., and a Spanish-language version might have been created for the Spanish-speaking community in the U.S.. At the same time, our example website has content for European Spanish. Thanks to the hreflang tag, Europeans will also see the appropriate language directories in Spanish. This is because many Spanish terms differ in Mexico City, Santiago de Chile and Madrid. By correctly specifying the hreflang tag in the source code, search engines can display the right version of the website for the right audience.
Implementing hreflang tags, also known as "language switch", is crucial for multilingual websites to avoid duplicate content issues and ensure that the right content is displayed to the appropriate users in search results. To implement the hreflang tag properly, es gives 3 options: HTML, HTTP header and XML sitemap.
To check the correct use of the hreflang tag, use the hreflang validator. This tool confirms whether all versions of a website refer to each other correctly and whether the correct language and country codes are used. Country codes, by the way, are standardized. You can choose between formats like ISO 639-1, followed by the region code in the format ISO 3166-1 Alpha 2. The second one can be used optionally.
Proper use of hreflang tags helps improve the user experience by offering users content in their native language and relevant to their region. This in turn can increase engagement, dwell time and ultimately conversion rates. Therefore, hreflang tags are an indispensable part of any SEO strategy for multilingual websites.