What is hreflang?

Hreflang is a piece of code that tells search engines which language and region a page is meant for. It makes sure Google shows the right language version of your page to the right visitor. For websites with several languages or country versions, hreflang is essential to prevent confusion and duplicate content.

What is hreflang for?

If you have, for example, a Dutch and a Belgian version of the same page, hreflang helps Google send the visitor to the right version. Without hreflang the wrong language version may appear, or search engines may see the versions as competing, duplicate content.

Hreflang and duplicate content

Similar pages in different languages or for different regions can look alike. With correct hreflang annotations you make clear that they are language or regional variants, not duplicates. This is part of technical SEO.

Common mistakes

Common problems are missing return links between versions, wrong language codes and hreflang that points to non-indexable pages. Check the implementation carefully, because errors are hard to spot but do cause damage.

Do I need hreflang?

Only if you offer content in several languages or for several regions. A single-language site does not need it.

Where do you place hreflang?

In the page head, the HTTP header or the sitemap. Using one consistent method matters most.