What is hreflang?
Hreflang is an HTML attribute (rel=”alternate” hreflang=”…”) that tells search engines which language or regional version of a page to serve to users in different locales. For example, it tells Google to show the US English page to US users and the UK English page to UK users.
Why hreflang matters
Without hreflang, multilingual sites risk showing the wrong language version, splitting signals across duplicates or confusing Google about which page to index. Correct hreflang prevents those problems and helps each localized page rank in its market.
How to implement hreflang
- Add hreflang tags in the HTML head, sitemap or HTTP headers.
- Include all language/region combinations, including x-default.
- Ensure tags are bidirectional — every page points to every other version.
- Keep URLs distinct per locale (subdirectories, subdomains or ccTLDs).
Hreflang and GEO
Localized, correctly delivered content is easier for regional AI answers to cite accurately — important for geo-targeted visibility.
Related terms
How Social SEO Team can help
We implement and audit hreflang for international sites. Explore our technical SEO services.