For a multilingual export website, hreflang is unavoidable. It tells Google which language/region audience a page is meant for. Set it correctly and every language version falls into place; set it wrong — and around 40% of multilingual sites kill their entire hreflang group with one basic mistake, leaving local versions barely indexed at all.
What is hreflang
Three multilingual architecture options
| Architecture | Example | Geographic signals | Authority | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ccTLD | example.de | Strongest | Dispersed | Focused single market with a sufficient budget |
| Subdomain | de.example.com | Medium | More dispersed | Markets differ a lot |
| Subdirectory | example.com/de/ | Weaker | Concentrated | The first choice for B2B multi-market sites |
A subdirectory lets every language version share the root domain’s authority, is simple to govern, and adding a new market only takes one more directory — the most practical choice for B2B exporters.
hreflang Five hard rules
- Use correct ISO codes: Use en-us, de-de, zh-cn; do not invent codes like EU or APAC that do not exist.
- Reciprocal references plus self-reference: Every variant must point to the other variants and to itself.
- Pair it with x-default: The fallback language version, used when a user’s language matches nothing declared.
- consistent with canonical: hreflang must not point at a page that canonicalises elsewhere.
- Do not point at redirects or noindex pages: It must point to a 200-status indexable page.
Missing self-reference = whole group fails
This is the most common and most easily missed trap: developers remember to point the German page at the US and UK pages, but forget to add a de-de self-reference on the German page itself. Google receives a pile of mutual references with nobody claiming “I am the German version”, so the German pages barely get indexed.
Do not force IP redirects
Many sites redirect users to a language page based on IP the moment they arrive. The problem: Googlebot can be redirected too, so only one version gets crawled; and travelling buyers get force-switched when their IP changes, which is a terrible experience. The right approach is to offer a visible language selector rather than forcing it.
Localisation ≠ translation
Machine translation only solves “readable”, not “findable” or “trustworthy”. Real localisation means redoing keyword and content strategy for the target market. Internal links should also connect within each language rather than diluting equity across languages.
FAQ
- Does hreflang need a self-reference?
- Self-reference is mandatory. Around 40% of hreflang groups fail because it is missing — every language variant must point both to the other variants and to itself, otherwise Google cannot tell which language the page belongs to.
- What is x-default for?
- x-default is the fallback language version, used when a user’s language matches none of the declared variants. For example, with en-us and de-de declared, a French user lands on the page specified by x-default — usually the English version.
- Is forcing language redirects by IP acceptable?
- No. Forced IP-based redirects block Googlebot and give travelling users a bad experience. Use a visible language/region selector instead and let users switch themselves.