Hreflang is an HTML attribute (rel="alternate" hreflang="x") that tells search engines which language and regional version of a page to serve to users in different locations. It links together translated or localized versions of the same content.
Why Hreflang matters for SEO
Without hreflang tags, Google may show the wrong language version to users, index duplicate translated pages as duplicate content, or not understand the relationship between your localized pages. This leads to keyword cannibalization between language versions and poor user experience.
Pro tip on Hreflang
Add hreflang tags to every localized page. Include self-referencing tags (each page must reference itself). Ensure bidirectional return tags (if page A links to page B, page B must link back to page A). Add x-default for the fallback language. Use valid ISO 639-1 language codes.
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Hreflang implementation errors are the #1 international SEO problem. CrawlRaven validates every hreflang tag, checks return tags, and flags missing x-default directives.
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