How to Use Hreflang Google Tags Correctly for International Targeting
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Using Hreflang Google Tags Correctly: A Complete Guide to Getting Your International Targeting Right (2025)
Using a website translator is an efficient way to make sure your content is understood across multiple languages. With the right translation plugin or language switcher, you can quickly localize your site and ensure every visitor has the best possible experience.
If you already run a multilingual website or are exploring international business opportunities, you may be wondering how translation technology can help boost your visibility in global search results (SERPs).
One common question is whether hreflang tags are beneficial for SEO and how they play a role in search engine optimization for multilingual sites.
In this article, we’ll explore how hreflang tags work, how to implement them correctly, and how they can be leveraged as part of a powerful SEO strategy for reaching international audiences.
What Are Hreflang Tags?
In a nutshell, hreflang tags are HTML attributes or pieces of code that are employed to indicate to search engines the language and geotargeting of a website page. Consequently, they are regularly utilized for websites with multiple versions of the same page in different languages.
What’s Google Markup, and Why Should It Matter to You?
More commonly referred to as schema markup, this is the language search engines use to better understand online content. In 2011, the three major search providers – Google, Bing, and Yahoo – introduced it to create a universal standard of structured data that could be used globally across different browsers.
Structured data plays a vital role in SEO rankings, as search engines favor websites that are clear, informative, and engaging.
Google supports three main structured data formats: Microdata, RDFa, and JSON-LD.
The hreflang attribute was designed to work in a similar way to schema markup. Although they aren’t directly connected, both serve the purpose of helping search engines interpret content correctly – which is why hreflang is often grouped under Google’s markup and considered an essential element for multilingual websites.
A translation plugin, website translator, or language switcher can further enhance this by ensuring the right hreflang tags are in place, making it easier for search engines to deliver localized results to global audiences.
How Does Google Use Hreflang Tags?
In 2011, Google introduced the hreflang attribute, a piece of markup code that tells search engines which language and regional version of a page should appear for a given user. It is typically implemented directly in a site’s code or within XML sitemaps.
The purpose of hreflang is straightforward – to give Google the ability to match relevant content to a user’s specific language and location. For example, if a visitor is browsing from Spain, the Spanish version of your site is more likely to appear in search results than the English one.
In a single set of search engine results, there can be multiple potential hreflang matches. When a page is properly labeled with the user’s language or regional code, it has a much better chance of ranking higher.
While Google may still detect alternative language versions of your content on its own, specifying hreflang tags eliminates guesswork. By explicitly indicating which pages belong to which audience, you simplify the process for search engines and improve international search visibility.
This is especially important for multilingual websites that host several versions of the same page in different languages or regional variants. Using a multilingual SEO tool, international SEO plugin, or content localization software can help you manage hreflang tags effectively – ensuring your website targets the right users in the right markets.
User Experience
Hreflang markup is most efficient when your website has multiple languages or regional variations of the same page. As an example, a product page in Canadian French and another in French for users based in Switzerland. This markup assists ConveyThis in comprehending the global website’s structure and why there are similar pages in similar languages.
Consequently, this produces a more gratifying user experience, as those who access a page in their native language or regional dialect can find information in a more expeditious manner. This, in turn, ought to aid in reducing your bounce rate, something Google takes into account when evaluating web pages.
Managing Content
Hreflang markup can be very useful when your website contains a great deal of user-generated content (such as forums) or dynamic content. In such cases, the main content is usually in one language, so only the template (e.g. the menu bar and footer) will be translated. Unfortunately, this setup is not ideal as you will have multiple languages on the same URL.
However, you can still utilize the markup to dodge mistakenly replicating content. For example, while you may have the same data for nations with a shared language like the US and UK, you may need clients to see various data that is applicable to them. Without ConveyThis, Google won’t have the option to tell the contrast between these pages and will accept they are the same, which isn’t useful for SEO.
How to Add Hreflang Google Markup
There are two main ways to add hreflang markup to your website: manually or with the help of a multilingual website plugin.
A translation plugin simplifies website localization, reaching new audiences with ease. It offers quick implementation, automated support for multiple languages, and seamless integration that helps expand your global customer base.
Manual addition of hreflang tags involves steps such as:
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inserting the hreflang code into the
<head>section of your site -
using a tag manager to create and maintain hreflang attributes
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generating tags through an hreflang generator tool
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or configuring them via an API for large-scale automation
By placing hreflang attributes correctly in your HTML, you enable search engines to recognize the relationship between a page and its translated versions. This ensures your site is indexed properly and displayed to the right audience. Manual implementation works best for smaller sites with only a few multilingual pages.
For non-HTML files like PDFs, hreflang can be declared through the HTTP header, which informs search engines of the intended language and region. Another option is adding hreflang attributes to your XML sitemap, making indexing more accurate and helping search engines clearly identify language variations across your site.
On the other hand, larger websites – such as global eCommerce stores with thousands of product pages – often benefit more from an automatic translation tool or SEO-friendly language switcher. These solutions can instantly generate hreflang tags, manage multiple languages in one place, and reduce the risk of human error.
While manual implementation is possible, relying on an international website translator or multilingual SEO plugin can save significant time and help ensure a flawless setup. This approach allows you to scale efficiently while providing a seamless experience for global users.
What’s the Best Translation Solution?
There are many options available, and choosing a user-friendly, no-code solution that doesn’t interfere with your workflow is important. A good translation tool can automatically add hreflang tags and structured markups to your website during the localization process, making it ideal for those with little or no coding experience. It detects existing tags in the site’s code and updates the header links so that nothing is missed.
Beyond that, an effective solution ensures that every element of your site is translated, including buttons, banners, links, and navigation components. At the same time, it should allow for full manual control, so you can review translations, adjust wording, and refine hreflang attributes when needed.
This balance of automation and flexibility ensures that teams of any skill level can collaborate on refining multilingual SEO and deliver a smooth experience for international visitors.
Different Language and Regional Encodings
The hreflang Google attribute mainly uses the ISO 639-1 encoding to identify the language. This is the format Google supports by default. But there’s also the option of regional encoding (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), enabling you to signal the region you’re targeting.
The first two lower case letters indicate the language (for example, “fr” for French, “en” for English), followed by the region in capital letters (“ES” for Spain, “MX” for Mexico, etc.)
Unfortunately, not every code is intuitive. The UK, for example, uses “GB” to specify its region rather than “UK.” So, before you accidentally paste the wrong code, use a hreflang tag generator first.
Here’s an en example for a site targeting English Speakers in the US:
And this is the code for targeting English Speakers in the UK:
Note: Capitalization is unnecessary, as Google will understand the markup either way. However, capitalization is a best practice as it makes your code more readable to the human eye.
If you specify only one code, Google will assume it’s a language code. As such, you should never write a country code without a language code, as Google will automatically detect it as a language.
What Happens if There Isn’t a Match for a Visitor’s Language?
You can use the x-default tag to find a solution for unmatched languages. While this value isn’t required, it’s strongly suggested as the tag provides you with more control when there isn’t a language correspondence. Here, guests are diverted from unmatched regions to a default page. In many cases, this could be your standard English website or a site written in the native language of the nation in which you operate. In other words, it’s a go-to page for when there isn’t a more suitable page available.
Tips and Best Practices
Before we wrap up, whether you’re adding hreflang markup manually or using an automated method, there are a few best practices to keep in mind.
One important step is setting up a unique URL for each region. This ensures that users are directed to the correct localized version of your site. When specifying these URLs, make sure they are complete, including the HTTP or HTTPS protocol. Without this, search engines won’t be able to properly connect users to the alternate versions of your site.
It’s also worth noting that alternate pages don’t necessarily have to exist on the same domain. However, every language version must be listed, and all localized pages should be linked to one another. If they aren’t, search engines may ignore your hreflang tags altogether.
Finally, avoid pointing users to irrelevant language versions. For example, directing French speakers to an Italian page will only create confusion and drive visitors away. Search engines like Google are also likely to detect this inconsistency and may lower your page’s ranking as a result.
Common Problems with Hreflang tags
When implemented correctly, hreflang tags can significantly improve user experience and strengthen international SEO. However, adding them manually can often lead to mistakes, especially for those without technical expertise.
For example, Google may report that “your site has no hreflang tags,” which signals a problem that requires careful troubleshooting. Such errors can prevent search engines from recognizing the correct language or regional versions of your site.
To verify correct implementation, always ensure that URLs include the full protocol (HTTP:// or HTTPS://) and that each tag is properly connected to its corresponding page. Once this is done, search engines will handle the rest. Keep in mind that if you recently modified your hreflang setup, it may take time for Google to re-index your site and reflect the changes in rankings.
It’s also important to remember that hreflang attributes are not a one-time task. They need to be updated regularly, especially whenever you add new pages, remove content, or change how pages connect to one another.
In short, using an automated solution can help streamline this process, reduce the risk of errors, and ensure that your multilingual website remains optimized for global audiences.
Are You Ready to Start Using the Hreflang Google Tag?
Hreflang tags are one of the essential elements for a fully functional multilingual website. As you may already know, website translation involves much more than simply altering the main content. To make the process easier, there are tools that allow you to translate your site quickly and cost-effectively while automatically handling hreflang attributes in the background.
Using a no-code solution can help automate hreflang implementation, reducing the risk of errors that often occur when editing code manually. This makes it a convenient and reliable way to manage a multilingual website effectively. Many site owners also choose to direct users to the most appropriate language version based on factors such as location, browser settings, or user preferences.
The key is to balance automation with clarity. While advanced solutions make localization easier, not every approach is suitable for search engines. For example, forcing visitors to the wrong language version can create confusion and negatively affect rankings. Instead, adopting a clean approach with properly implemented hreflang tags and alternate URLs ensures that each audience is guided to the right content.
An efficient translation workflow should also manage buttons, banners, links, and all other elements consistently across languages. This guarantees that localized websites remain in line with best SEO practices and provide a seamless experience for international users.
Translation, far more than just knowing languages, is a complex process.
By following our tips and using ConveyThis , your translated pages will resonate with your audience, feeling native to the target language.
While it demands effort, the result is rewarding. If you’re translating a website, ConveyThis can save you hours with automated machine translation.
Try ConveyThis free for 3 days!