Term · Search & content
hreflang
hreflang is an attribute used to tell search engines that several pages are versions of the same content in different languages or for different regions. It helps show a Russian speaker the Russian page and an Azerbaijani speaker the Azerbaijani page, and prevents language versions from competing with each other in search.
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Explained
How it looks
In the page head:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="az" href="https://example.az/az/xidmetler/" /> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="ru" href="https://example.az/ru/uslugi/" /> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.az/en/services/" /> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.az/az/xidmetler/" />
The same annotations can be provided in HTTP headers or in the XML sitemap.
Rules
- Reciprocal: every version lists all versions, including itself; one-sided annotations are ignored.
- Codes: language codes (ISO 639-1) such as
az,ru,en, optionally with region codes (ISO 3166-1) such asru-AZ. - x-default: the version for users whose language is not covered, often the main language or a language selector.
- Canonical URLs only: annotations must point to indexable, canonical pages.
- Real translations only: do not point
hreflang="en"to a page that is not in English.
Common errors
- Missing return links.
- Canonical tags on translations pointing to the main language.
- Wrong codes (for example
az-AZwritten asaze, or country codes used as language codes). - Annotations pointing to redirected pages.
More in multilingual URL structure.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does Google require hreflang?
No, but for multilingual sites it significantly improves which version is shown to whom.
Do we need region codes for Azerbaijan?
Usually not. Language codes suffice unless you serve the same language differently to different countries.