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Hreflang - why and how and why not for International SEO
Hreflang tags are used to provide information to search engines about alternate versions of a web page for different languages and regions. However, implementing hreflang tags correctly can be complex. Common issues include failures to link all relevant language versions properly, IP redirects that prevent crawlers seeing some versions, and poor site architecture hindering crawling. Testing hreflang implementation and debugging issues found is important to ensure the tags are working as intended and not negatively impacting search visibility. While hreflang can help with proper localization, it is not a requirement and may not provide direct ranking benefits on its own.
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Hreflang - why and how and why not for International SEO
- 1. Barcelona International Search Summit “WhyHreflang isn't as simple as it should be (and you might not need it)” Gerry White SEO Director, Rise at Seven
- 2. Gerry White SEO DirectorRise at Seven
- 3. Take It Offline takeitoffline.co.uk Checkit out and come to the next one!!
- 4. When I startedin SEO @dergal
- 5. Where did youcome from, where did you go … Where did you come from Cotton Eye Joe.
- 6. UK - English speaking,spells colour correctly US - English speaking, spells colour wrongly (color) Canada - English and French, but … Canadian English and French.
- 10. South Africa has11 official languages ….stuff gets complicated
- 13. International URLs examples JustEat • Just-eat.co.uk • just-eat.ch - German • just-eat.ch/fr – French • just-eat.ch/en – English • skipthedishes.com – English • skipthedishes.com/fr/ - French
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- 16. Don’t try &use google translate for chat up lines ….
- 18. WHY HREFLANG ISN'TAS SIMPLE AS IT SHOULD BE (AND YOU MIGHT NOT NEED IT) @dergal
- 19. 1. It isabout Language @dergal It always starts with Language and the region is optional. hreflang="en" ✅ hreflang="en-gb" ✅ Hreflang="gb" ❌
- 20. 2. It doesn’timprove rankings @dergal it can even reduce visibility!
- 21. 2. It doesn’timprove rankings @dergal
- 22. @dergal .com outranks .co.uk Hreflangwill mean the .com version goes, and the .co.uk version is prioritised. Competitors visibility will increase
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- 24. 3. Hreflang isbetween pages @dergal Relationship between the same page in different languages (and regions)
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- 27. 4. Hreflang iscomplex @dergal It shouldn’t be, but it is … & we will get into that.
- 28. Even Google saysit is complex @dergal
- 29. 5. Hreflang isa hint @dergal Not a directive this means it can be ignored.
- 30. So why dohreflang! @dergal Simple put, if you land on the right page, in the right language, you will be more likely to convert.
- 31. So why dohreflang! @dergal If you are a French Canadian you’d prefer the French version
- 32. So why dohreflang! @dergal Improve Conversion & reduce bounce rate.
- 33. Reduces Duplication issues @dergal Example –one page wasn’t being indexed. GSC said it was canonicalized to a separate website serving a different country. Solution would have been hreflang.
- 34. How! @dergal I. In thehead II. In an XML Sitemap III. In Headers
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- 37. HTTP Headers? Link: <http://example.com/file.pdf>;rel="alternate"; hreflang="en", <http://de-ch.example.com/file.pdf>; rel="alternate"; hreflang="de-ch", <http://de.example.com/file.pdf>; rel="alternate"; hreflang="de" Note – I’ve never seen it in the wild….
- 38. HTTP Headers? Vojtěch Zachfrom ContentKing says they've rarely if ever seen http headers within their clients. (ContentKing is a tool which helps you audit your website, including hreflang).
- 39. Needs a return •It needs to go both, all ways otherwise it will not work.
- 40. @dergal The Stichfix example ONLYhas hreflang on the .cio.uk version so this is why it is not work. Implementing on .com will fix the issue.
- 41. Cross domain or SameDomain @dergal You can do it across multiple domains, subdomains and the same domain.
- 42. The Codes @dergal A genuineexample from a clients website <link rel=“alternate” hreflang=“UK”> This … does not mean anything (more likely to mean Ukrania than anything) but it needs a URL
- 43. The Codes -Language @dergal 2-letter ISO-639-1 Codes
- 44. The Codes -Location @dergal 2-letter ISO-3166-1 Codes
- 46. Homepage Only? @dergal Because itis 1:1 mapping, you want to do the pages you can. If it is just the homepage it is a start. It will not fail if it isn’t 100% across the site, but it will only work on the pages with valid hreflang references.
- 47. A good example- @dergal Image via Sam Underwood: https://www.samunderwood.co.uk/resources/visualising-seo/
- 48. But what if…. just-eat.co.uk takeaway/brands/mcdonalds takeaway.com /be/mcdonalds @dergal Image via Sam Underwood: https://www.samunderwood.co.uk/resources/visualising-seo/
- 49. But what if…. takeaway.com /be-en/order-pizza just-eat.co.uk /takeaway/nearme/pizza @dergal Image via Sam Underwood: https://www.samunderwood.co.uk/resources/visualising-seo/
- 50. A good badway…. @dergal
- 51. Even Google saysit is complex @dergal
- 52. Common Issues @dergal A bigsite, takes longer to crawl, if the relevant versions of the page are not crawled it won’t work I. Fix spider traps II. Reduce complexity III. Improve IA IV. Use good XML Sitemaps Size of Site
- 53. Common Issues @dergal Often poorsite architecture means poor linking. Country switchers are often uncrawalable. Internal links
- 54. Common Issues @dergal The hreflangand the canonical must match this includes - Protocol (https vs http) - Case (This vs this) - Trailing Slash Canonical not matching
- 55. IP Redirects @dergal If youaccess it in the US and it always gets redirected from /uk/ to /us/ Can Google see the UK version If it can’t see the UK version it won’t crawl it. US gets redirected to …
- 56. IP Redirects @dergal It is‘fairly’ accurate but with an increase in people using work VPNs for security, we get a decrease in accuracy. Are often wrong
- 57. Common Issues @dergal Just becauseyou’ve put hreflang on … Google has to think you are relevant for the market, this might require localised links content and other local factors. Google isn’t ranking you
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- 61. Debug – Validator @dergal THEISSUE <noscript> tag with an img element in the <head>
- 62. Debug – Validator @dergal Causedby Facebook in GTM! <!-- Facebook Pixel Code --> <script> … </script> <noscript> <img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id={your- pixel-id-goes-here}&ev=PageView& noscript=1"/> </noscript> <!-- End Facebook Pixel Code -->
- 63. X Default @dergal We alwaysrecommend an x-default, where do you send them if they fall through the system.
- 64. Case Study @dergal Client spotsthat hreflang isn’t working
- 65. Case Study @dergal Step 1.TEST Google DataStudio GSC looking at the landing page for two regions and seeing what % is landing on the incorrect page.
- 66. Case Study @dergal Google DataStudio UseCase to Group the pages by GEO Then you can see the split accurately. Using CASE WHEN in Google Data Studio to Supercharge Your Reporting riseatseven.com/blog/google-data-studio- case-when-statements/
- 67. Case Study @dergal Google DataStudio UseCase to Group the pages by GEO Then you can see the split accurately. Using CASE WHEN in Google Data Studio to Supercharge Your Reporting riseatseven.com/blog/google-data-studio- case-when-statements/
- 68. Case Study @dergal Because theDataStudio report is interactive, we can drill into what is causing the issues
- 69. Case Study @dergal Check whichpages aren’t performing.
- 70. Case Study @dergal Check hreflangconfiguration
- 71. Case Study @dergal Check hreflangconfiguration
- 72. Case Study @dergal Check hreflangconfiguration
- 73. Case Study @dergal Check hreflangconfiguration
- 74. Most traffic isIrish @dergal 42 stores in Ireland Zero in the UK Google thinks it deserves to rank in Ireland
- 75. Most traffic isIrish @dergal So more UK based signals – links and content Hreflang is a hint, not a directive.
- 76. And … soin summary @dergal • Hint • Fickle • Needs 1:1 • Needs a return • Planning is important • Put in a default • Don’t use auto translate
- 77. Resource @dergal Aleyda Solis: HreflangImplementation Guide Analytics Mania: How to Fix Facebook Pixel Code <noscript> in GTM OHGM: Breaking the <head> (Quietly) OHGM: Hreflang Tags Not Respected (How to Solve) Onely: Ultimate Guide to International SEO Sitebulb: <head> contains a <noscript> tag, which includes an image Sitebulb: Contains one or more single point of failure Ask Questions!!
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