Hreflang
An HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and region a page is intended for.
Full definition
Hreflang is an HTML attribute (or XML sitemap tag) that signals to Google and Bing which language and regional variant of a page should be shown to users in specific locales. For example, a business with a UK English page, a US English page, and a French page would use hreflang to tell Google: show /en-gb/ to UK users, /en-us/ to US users, and /fr/ to French speakers. Correct hreflang implementation prevents international sites from competing against themselves in search results and ensures users see the most relevant regional version. Common errors: missing reciprocal hreflang tags, incorrect country/language codes, missing x-default declaration (for users in unsupported regions).
Real-world example
An agency serving the UK, US, and Australia implements hreflang tags to ensure that users searching in Australia see /en-au/ pages with AUD pricing, while US users see /en-us/ pages with USD pricing.
Related terms
An HTML tag that tells search engines which version of a duplicate or similar page is the preferred one to index.
Read definitionThe ability of search engine bots to access and crawl a website's pages.
Read definitionOptimisations to a website's infrastructure that help search engines crawl, index, and understand it.
Read definitionGoogle's database of web pages that have been crawled and stored for retrieval in search results.
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