HREFLANG
Hreflang HTML tag is an attribute that specifies language and country (geographical targeting) on a web page. This tag is often used whence translation of a web page is required and attached to the parent site usually in English. Hreflang tags tell Google which version of the website should be shown in which country. Only Yandex accepts this tag while Bing uses alternative signals. However, with Google having a major share in the search market, I advise webmasters to use this tag as an imperative. This tag also alleviates the possibility of duplicate content penalty.
The tag informs the search engines especially Google that the page has been translated from another language and is not a duplicate. Apart from placing this tag webmasters often add the canonical tag to further specify the relationship with the parent page or domain.
These tags are also used if the translated page resides in another
country-wise TLD. A parent domain .com may have multiple domains that are
targeted in another country. A website in English can lead to a website in
another language whence the translate option is used on its pages.
If the translation is 100 percent, the country-wise domain does not face
any duplicate penalty. But partial translation may create issues hence it is
wide to state relationships. These are often used for International SEO. Localize pages using country popular terms as in the US and UK English and pricing for example $ and £. Local variants could be place names as well.
Hreflang tags use simple and consistent syntax:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x"
href="https://example.com/alternate-page" />
Here’s what each part of that code means in plain English:
link rel=“alternate”: The link in this tag is an alternate version of
this page.
hreflang=“x”: It’s alternate because it’s in a different language, and
that language is x.
href=“https://example.com/alternate-page”: The alternate page can be
found at this URL.
The Tag is added in the <head> section along with the canonical
tag. Note both tags are added separately. This tag is very useful in International
SEO since the domains may have multiple versions of pages in different
languages. You can also use Hreflang in headers.
Country-wise language codes example
ar = Arabic
af = Afrikaans
fr = French
hi = Hindi
en=English
Canonical Tag
If there are two different pages with the same or similar content then the
master page may be indicated by using this tag the canonical tag. This
eliminates the problem of similar pages being a duplicate. These
should be used especially in eCommerce sites that may contain similar product
pages.
This tag can also be used for cross-domain reference.
Code for Canonical Tag
<link rel=“canonical” href=“https://example.com/sample-page/”
/>
Both codes can be used for a website with a presence in many countries in
International SEO.
Using ccTLD
You can use country-specific domains in order to enter respective International markets. In case you are using generic TLD or gTLD you can create country-specific subdomains of folders in the directory. This is much preferred as the authority is centered around one domain and not spread around multiple country-level domains like ccTLDs. But I suggest going for country-specific domains if there is a legal imperative like in the case of China.;
Yes in recent times ccTLDs are not preferred for targeting a presence in many languages the search, in this case, is country-specific. Creating multiple websites using many country-specific domains is an expensive proposition as site development and SEO have to be carried out for each. Although it is possible you should avoid creating a page in French for targeting a French audience or wherever the language is popular. Because ccTLD indexing and ranking are specific to that country.
Remember sometimes if you have .com and or ccTLD in the same language the gTLD might rank over the country version hence the only way out is to keep contents on both domains unique.
I would suggest going for content or a sub-continent domain if available such as.ASIA or.EU if the focus is on that specific region. This will help in geotargeting many Nations using a commonly understood language like English or in some cases French.
Small Website SEO & Page Translation Option
Managing SEO for a global audience is not for small players as SEO and native content for products that have a wider potential in many countries. The best option for smaller websites is to go for translation widgets or for individual pages in the targeted language itself. Creating too many pages for targeted personnel onsite could escalate costs. Anyway, this could result in a traffic surge on SERPs as the chances of search engines finding the site will increase. Thus, create product pages and pricing in targeted languages for better conversion and traffic. However, take please take into consideration the complexity that would arise in the case of the site architecture.
Be careful that the primary home page content is not outsmarted by the translated pages and your primary audience gets confused. There should not be a conflict between the SERPs created by wrong SEO Practices and the site architecture. Accurate focusing on target personae is imperative.
Sub Domains
Google takes subdomain into separate consideration and hence link building authority has to be created specifically for each. In my experience, it is tedious to maintain focus on subdomains especially if the campaign budget is small.
Sub Directory for International SEO in Multiple Languages.
This is the best option since a country-specific sub directory compliments the whole site architecture well. The page authority is easily passed onto sub directories. The pages in a subdirectory could be easily managed in the search console and Google analytics. Increasing the URL length would be a small price to pay since subdirectory pages are known to rank fast on SERPs anyway.
Search Console Option
You can geo-target using the facilities in Google Search Console.
How to Set a Geographic Target?
Go to Google Search Console
Click on the website (property) you want to set a geographic target for
On the left, select Search Traffic > International Targeting
Click on the “Country” tab
Select the region you want to target or select “unlisted”
Click “Save.”
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You can also use geo-redirects in IP Address which will
connect to the overseas country website even if you are using .com which
searches from the USA. In this case, use 303 HTTP response code which prevents
caching and thus will not form a barrier to bots coming for say US. Anyway, this
is the least preferred option.
Example: A visit to xyz.com/page-1” is redirected to “website.com/page-2” instead.1
CDN Servers
These are important for doing Global SEO these are fast content delivery
networks that are excellent for the purpose but then these may not be accessible
in some countries with barriers as in the case of China.
XML Site Map
This is a centralized structure in web page directory where country
specific pages should be added ready for crawl. You can also deploy the tags in
headers which is preferred for non html pages like pdf. The tag can also be
added in XML Site Map which is a centralized tool very much useful in large and
complex sites.
If all resources fail use a country-specific URL it is this simple.
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Uday provides a search engine optimization service for digital marketing. He provides website content and content for authoritative links. He also works as SEO or SEO Content Writer for Companies Online. He also teaches digital marketing in his home town Jabalpur. He can be contacted at:
pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
