How to Fix Hreflang Conflicts Within Page Source Code [Step-by-Step Guide]

Hreflang tags are crucial for websites targeting international audiences, ensuring users see the correct language version of your page based on their location and language preferences. Misconfiguring these tags can cause serious SEO issues, leading to search engines misunderstanding the relationship between different language versions of your site. Let’s walk through how to fix these conflicts step by step.

What Are Hreflang Tags?

Hreflang tags are HTML attributes that indicate the language and geographical targeting for a page. They help search engines deliver the right language version of a webpage to users in different countries. Each page on your website needs its own Hreflang attribute if it targets different regions or languages.

For example, if you have a page in English for US users and another in French for Canadian users, the Hreflang tags would tell search engines how these pages relate to each other.

Why Are Hreflang Conflicts a Problem?

When your Hreflang tags are misconfigured, search engines can become confused, which may result in:

• Wrong pages being shown to users in different locations.
• Duplicate content penalties.
• Poor user experience as users land on pages in the wrong language.

Common Hreflang Conflicts

1. Missing Return Tags: If you have a page that points to another language or country version, but the alternate version doesn’t reciprocate the link back, it can confuse search engines.
2. Incorrect Language/Country Codes: Hreflang tags rely on ISO language and country codes, and incorrect usage can cause conflicts.
3. Conflicting Tags: Having multiple conflicting Hreflang tags on a single page can result in search engines not knowing which version to serve.
4. Hreflang Tags Pointing to Non-Canonical URLs: If your Hreflang tags point to URLs that are not marked as canonical, search engines may struggle to identify the correct version of the page.

Steps to Fix Hreflang Conflicts

1. Audit Your Hreflang Tags
   Start by using tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console to identify pages with Hreflang issues. These tools will show you any errors or conflicts within your Hreflang tags.
2. Ensure Every Page Has Reciprocal Hreflang Tags
   If Page A has a Hreflang tag pointing to Page B, ensure that Page B also has a tag pointing back to Page A. This bi-directional linking helps search engines understand the relationship between the pages.
3. Correct Language and Country Codes
   Always use the correct ISO codes for both language and country. For example, en-US for English-speaking users in the United States and fr-CA for French-speaking users in Canada.
4. Fix Conflicting Tags
   Avoid using multiple Hreflang tags that conflict with each other on the same page. If you’re targeting multiple countries or languages, make sure each tag is correctly defined and corresponds to the correct page version.
5. Canonicalization
   Ensure that the URLs used in your Hreflang tags are canonical versions of your pages. If you’re using different URLs for tracking or other purposes, make sure these are canonicalized to avoid confusion.
6. Regularly Monitor and Update Hreflang Tags
   Hreflang tags are not “set it and forget it.” As your website evolves and you add new language versions or modify existing ones, it’s crucial to regularly audit your Hreflang setup to ensure there are no conflicts.

Best Practices for Hreflang Implementation

• Use language and country codes consistently.
• Make sure each Hreflang tag points to the right version of the page.
• Implement self-referencing Hreflang tags to ensure each page points to itself as well as its counterparts.
• Use a sitemap to declare Hreflang tags for large websites with many language versions.

Why You Should Fix Hreflang Conflicts

Correcting Hreflang conflicts ensures that the right content reaches the right audience, improving user experience and helping you rank better in search engines. With properly configured Hreflang tags, you avoid duplicate content issues and help Google and other search engines understand the relationship between your international pages.

If you’re unsure about fixing these issues on your own, seek the help of an SEO expert or web developer with experience in international SEO.

Conclusion

Implementing Hreflang tags correctly is essential for international SEO. Misconfigured tags can lead to a poor user experience and loss of traffic. Use this guide to audit your website, fix Hreflang conflicts, and ensure your content is accessible to the right users, no matter where they are in the world.

If you need further help, reach out to our team for professional support. We can ensure your Hreflang tags are set up correctly to maximize your website’s SEO potential.