What are href lang tags?

Href lang tags are HTML attributes that tell search engines which language and regional version of a page they should show to users. When implemented correctly, href lang tags help deliver the right content to the right audience, especially for multilingual or multi-country websites.

In practice, href lang tags are small pieces of code that define the language and country targeting of specific URLs. They are essential for international SEO because they clarify the relationship between different language versions of the same page, such as a Belgian Dutch page and an English version for the rest of Europe.

How href lang tags work

Href lang tags use ISO language and region codes to tell Google and other search engines which version of a page is intended for which users. A typical href lang tag in the HTML <head> looks like this: <link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/be-en/" hreflang="en-be" />. Each page should reference its own language version plus all alternates, and those pages should reference it back.

For e-commerce and B2B sites serving several European markets, href lang tags significantly reduce the risk of the wrong language page ranking for branded or high intent queries. They also help consolidate signals across versions, making it easier for your overall domain to perform in organic search.

Why href lang tags matter for SEO

Without href lang tags, search engines often guess which page to rank in each market. That guess can be wrong, which leads to higher bounce rates and lost revenue. With correct implementation, href lang tags support your wider SEO strategy and help you control how your content appears across regions.

  • Prevent language mix ups in the SERPs, so French users see French pages and Dutch users see Dutch pages.
  • Lower bounce rates by matching users with the most relevant content and currency.
  • Support stronger international SEO by clarifying relationships between localized URLs.
  • Reduce duplicate content issues across language or country variations.
  • Protect conversion rates in key markets by ensuring localised landing pages rank.

Together, these benefits make href lang tags one of the most important technical levers for consistent international search performance.

Basic implementation best practices

At minimum, each localized page should include self referential and reciprocal href lang tags for every language version. Use correct ISO codes such as en-be for English targeting Belgium or nl-be for Dutch in Belgium, and avoid made up combinations. Keep your canonical tags aligned with your primary URL for each market, and ensure that every referenced page returns a 200 status.

Href lang tags can be implemented in three ways, via HTML <link> tags, XML sitemaps, or HTTP headers for non HTML files. For larger or international Shopify stores, XML sitemap based href lang management is often more scalable and easier to automate.

Href lang tags in an international growth strategy

For companies that rely on organic growth across markets, href lang tags sit alongside content localisation, technical performance and structured data as core building blocks of a robust international SEO strategy. They do not replace high quality local content, but they make sure that content surfaces in the right country and language.

If you run a growing cross border e commerce brand or manage international Shopify stores, a focused audit such as Sprint 0 Lite or the full Sprint 0 from 6th Man can quickly uncover href lang issues that silently limit your visibility and revenue in key markets.