The different Hreflang language codes and how to implement them

What are “ hreflang ” tags?

When it comes to international SEO, hreflang tags are an essential element to help search engines understand the different language versions of your website. If you have a website available in multiple languages, hreflang tags can tell search engines which version of your website is intended for which audience.

There are a few different ways to specify the language of your website's content, but hreflang tags are the most recommended method. Hreflang tags are HTML tags that look like the following:

<link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”x” href=”http://example.com/”>

The “x” in the hreflang tag can be any of the language codes listed in the text. These language codes are used to indicate which language version of a website is intended for which audience. Hreflang tags are primarily used to specify which URL the user should be redirected to for the version of the website written in their language. Hreflang tags can also be used to specify the same URL for multiple languages, such as when a website is available in both English and French.

Implementation Hreflang s tags

There are several ways to implement hreflang tags on a website. They can be added to the HTML code of each page on the website or included in the website’s HTTP header. Hreflang tags can also be added to the Google Search Console or via the Sitemap format. It is important to ensure that hreflang tags are implemented correctly, as this can help improve a website’s search engine ranking and ensure that users are redirected to the correct language version of the website.

In most cases, you will want to specify a different URL for each language version of your website. In the example above, the "href" attribute is replaced with the URL of the corresponding language version of your website.

If you don’t have a specific page for a particular language, you can leave the “href” attribute blank. For example, this hreflang tag would tell search engines that there is no French version of this page:<link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”fr” href=””>

In some cases, you may want to use the same URL for multiple languages. This is common if you have a bilingual website, or if you have a separate page for each language but the content is largely the same. In these cases, you can use the “hreflang” attribute to specify multiple languages for the same URL. For example, this hreflang tag would tell search engines that this page is available in both English and French:<link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”en” href=”http://example.com/”> <link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”fr” href=”http://example.com/”>

You can also use the “hreflang” attribute to specify the “x-default” language. The “x-default” language is used to tell search engines which language version of your website should be displayed if no other language version is appropriate. Although it is not required, Google recommends using it.

Set language tags at Clonable

When you have subscribed to Clonable you will receive an email from us containing the DNS records and language tags that need to be changed. By adding these language tags, Google and other search engines will see your clone as an original site, rather than duplicate content.

There are several ways to set language tags. Depending on your platform, this script needs to be pasted in different places. In the mail (and later also in the backend of Clonable) you will find a short instruction on where exactly to paste the snippet.

When you purchase a new clone from us, we will send you an email about how to set up the language tags. This is different for each platform. We will make sure you get the right script with the right instructions to set the language tags correctly. It is easiest to copy the script verbatim from the email, when you try to type it over it may contain spelling errors or missing parts, causing the script not to work.

You can also review the instructions for the language tags at a later time, for example, if you want to re-enable them after disabling them. Once the clone is complete, you can find the instructions in your Clonable environment. You can find the instructions and data for your clones by going to the clone settings in the Clonable dashboard and then clicking the Setup information tab. Under “Language tags,” click the link under “Setting up your language tags.” A window will appear where you can select your platform. Based on that selection, you’ll then see the necessary script and data.