via yoast.com => original post link
hreflang tags are a technical solution for sites with similar content in multiple languages. The owner of a multilingual site wants search engines to send people to the content in their language. Say a user is Dutch, and the page that ranks is English, but there’s also a Dutch version. You would want Google to show the Dutch page in the search results for that Dutch user. This is the kind of problem hreflang is setting out to solve.
Table of contentsWhat are hreflang tags for?What’s the SEO benefit of hreflang?What is hreflang?What does hreflang achieve?Should you use hreflang?Architectural implementation choicesTechnical implementation – the basics1. Valid hreflang attributes2. Return links3. hreflang link to selfTechnical implementation choices1. HTML hreflang link elements in your 2. hreflang HTTP headers3. An XML sitemap hreflang implementationOther technical aspects of an hreflang implementationhreflang x-defaulthreflang and rel=canonicalUseful tools when implementing hreflanghreflang tag generatorhreflang XML sitemap generatorMaking sure hreflang keeps working: processConclusion
hreflang tags are among the most complex specs we’ve ever seen come out of a search engine. Because doing it right is challenging and takes time. That’s why this guide aims to prevent you from falling into common traps, so be sure to read it thoroughly if you’re embarking on an hreflang project.