BrightonSEO - International Targeting with Hreflang Tags
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The document provides a comprehensive overview of hreflang tags and their importance in international SEO, detailing how they resolve duplicate content and help target specific languages and regions. It emphasizes correct usage, including the appropriate syntax for both HTML and sitemap implementations, and warns against common mistakes such as mixing up language and country codes. Additionally, it advises on the organization of hreflang tags to ensure proper indexing by search engines.
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BrightonSEO - International Targeting with Hreflang Tags
- 1. April 2016 International targeting with hreflang tags EmilyMace Head of International SEO @ObanDigital @IAmTheLaserHawk #BrightonSEO
- 2. What is ahreflang tag anyway? Language content to different countries Resolves duplicate content Identifies regional differences in language (Spanish for Spain and Spanish for Mexico)
- 3. What isn’t ahreflang tag? The same as a canonical tag A geotargeting tool which sends people to a location site by default – it’s not IP serving or like IP Serving
- 4. Who understands thehreflang tag? Who doesn’t? Use the HTML Language code for these! Understanding the Hreflang tag
- 5.
- 6. How to use– on page In <head> section List all versions of a page available Syntax <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en-ie" hreflang="en-ie" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en-ca" hreflang="en-ca" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en-au" hreflang="en-au" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en" hreflang="en" />
- 7. How to use– sitemap Same as on page just coded as XHTML:Link <url> <loc>http://www.example.com/english/</loc> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="http://www.example.com/deutsch/" /> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="de-ch" href="http://www.example.com/schweiz-deutsch/" /> </url>
- 8. Which way tochoose? Smaller sites Larger sites, e-commerce sites, etc.
- 9. Don’t do both Morechance you’ll get it wrong
- 10. Get your codesthe right way round Language code first Then country code
- 11. “Call off Christmas!” Somethingwent wrong
- 12. Can’t I justuse canonical tags? Won’t help your international users see the right version of the site and could lead to pages not being indexed No Não NeinNai Nu Niet Non Nei NaiTidak Nage Nie Nil Aniyo Nej 没有 няма না Dili GeenJo አይ ال ոչ Yox Ez Ne Не Innò Ingen Nee Neniu Ei Hindi Όχι નં ʻAʻole לא नह ीं Tsis Nem Engin Níl ノー Ora ಯಾವುದ ೇ жоқ គ្មា ន 아니오 Na ບໍ່ ມີ ! Nē Tsia ഇല്ല Nru Kahore नाह Үгүй ээ မရှိသ ေးပါ कु नै نه ਕੋਈ Нет Leai Chan eil Cheنه නැත இல்லை తోబుట్టు వుల Hayır Немає نہیں Yo'q KhôngHayi ניין Ko si Cha
- 13. I’ve got IPServing – that’ll work right? JUST NO!
- 14. COUNTRY AND LANGAUGETARGETING
- 15. Get your languagecodes right <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/se" hreflang=“se-se" /> Swedish is SV not SE
- 16. Get your languagecodes right <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/at" hreflang="at-at" /> They speak German in Austria – not Austrian
- 17. Get your countrycodes right Some aren’t what you’d think Israel's code is? South Africa’s code is?
- 18. Get your countrycodes right Some aren’t what you’d think Israel's code is? IS is Iceland and IL is Israel South Africa’s code is? SA is Saudi Arabia and ZA is South Africa
- 19. Don’t make upcountries <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/ar" hreflang=“ar- ar" /> AR is Argentina – NOT ARABIA <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/de" hreflang=“de- eu" /> EU is not a country – this won’t target German speakers in Europe!
- 20. Don’t forget thepage you’re on Often see people leaving out the current page Listing alternatives only works if you include the current page Leave that out and the search engines will potentially ignore all the other hreflang tags for the content
- 21. Don’t overcomplicate things English.eu domain name hreflang tags <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.eu" hreflang="en-de" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.eu" hreflang="en-be" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.eu" hreflang="en-ch" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.eu" hreflang="en-pt" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.eu" hreflang="en-fi" /> And on and on and on One page for all those locations??????
- 22. Don’t overcomplicate things Trythis….. <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.eu" hreflang="en" /> But really? People want content in their language, not English – thanks!
- 23.
- 24. What’s the X-defaultoption? This is my original website right? The canonical one which is most important? The one to serve to people who I’ve not covered….
- 25. X-default as yourmain site? NOPE
- 26. So why useX-default? Language selector page
- 27. Use real URLs Don’tuse URL aliases Don’t use URLs which redirect All URLs in the hreflang should be the live version of the page else you’ll confuse Google
- 28. No returns! No ReturnTag Errors – Google Search Console’s favourite moan Linking all over the place French Services Page English Services Page English Home Page
- 29. No returns! Not neatlyfrom one thing to the same thing English service page French service page
- 30. No Mans Landcode Code goes in the <head> not anywhere else Certainly not in no man’s land </head> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/at" hreflang=“de-at" /> <body>
- 31. Remember it’s likethis <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en-ie" hreflang="en-ie" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en-ca" hreflang="en-ca" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en-au" hreflang="en-au" /> <link rel="alternate" href="http://example.com/en" hreflang="en" />
- 32. Thanks and anyquestions? www.obandigital.com | +44 1273 613 400 | @ObanDigital | @IAmTheLaserHawk