Implementing hreflang: The 8 biggest SEO misconceptions

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SEO expert and search engine specialist Motoko Hunt recently published an article on the key decisions necessary for using SEO to reach international markets on other continents and in different language versions. She offered several excellent tips on how to effectively build and design global websites. One of the best methods for supporting local markets and language versions is the use of the hreflang element, an HTML attribute.

Since its introduction, the hreflang attribute has been quite confusing. After its introduction, some site owners were confused about how to implement it.

According to a study by SEMrush, 75 percent of the websites examined that used czech republic phone number data hreflang had serious implementation errors. More than half of the sites had problems with their code implementation, primarily due to a lack of basic understanding of the attribute. The study also revealed that a number of website owners were misled by implicit and literal statements in potentially outdated Google support guidelines, as well as by the interpretations of some bloggers and influencers. In this article, we will attempt to uncover and dispel some of these misconceptions to make implementing the hreflang attribute a little easier for you.

Misconception No. 1: The hreflang attribute is only relevant on the homepage of the website
While this isn't a common occurrence, some websites have used the hreflang tag only on their homepages.
Unfortunately, Google's sample code only displays the homepage version (i.e., the home page) of a URL, leading some website owners to believe the attribute is only needed on the homepage.

These website operators had expected Google to be smart enough to figure out which country the visitor was viewing the website from. Unfortunately, Google works differently and consequently displayed the wrong page for the local market.

The solution for the header
The hreflang element must be added to all pages that have a language or geographic alternative version or are included in an XML sitemap, not just the home page.

Misconception No. 2: The hreflang attribute is only needed for top-level domains of the type .com
This misunderstanding stems from development teams who were unable to develop a solution for mapping pages between different top-level domains. Assuming they were using cc top-level domains like co.uk, they mistakenly assumed that the search engine would understand which country the site was being accessed from.