Hreflang tags are one of those technical SEO elements that sound more complicated than they really are. When they are set up correctly, they help search engines show the right version of your content to the right users, based on language and location.
When implemented badly, they can quietly undermine your entire international SEO strategy.
This guide explains what hreflang tags are, why they matter, and how to use them properly, with a clear focus on UK and international websites.
Hreflang tags are pieces of code that tell search engines which language and country a specific page is intended for.
They are most commonly used on websites that:
For example, if you have separate pages for UK and US audiences, hreflang helps Google understand which page to show to a user in the UK versus a user in the US.
Google explains hreflang as a way to “help Google serve the correct language or regional URL in search results”
In simple terms, it answers a critical question:
If multiple versions of this page exist, which one should this user see?
For example:
Without hreflang, Google has to guess. And guesses create problems. That guesswork often results in the wrong version ranking in the wrong market.
Hreflang tags do not directly improve rankings. Instead, they improve relevance.
When implemented correctly, hreflang helps:
For UK businesses expanding into Europe, the US, or beyond, hreflang is often essential for maintaining clean, scalable international SEO.
Let’s unpack that further.
If you operate separate UK, US and EU versions of the same service page, the core content is often 70 to 90 percent identical.
For example:
Without hreflang, Google must decide which version to index and show in each country. It may:
This is not a “penalty” issue. It is a clarity issue.
Hreflang tells search engines that these pages are equivalent in purpose but intended for different audiences. That separation allows each version to rank in its appropriate market without competing internally.
For growing UK brands, this prevents international cannibalisation before it starts.
International SEO is about experience as much as visibility.
A user in Manchester expects:
A user in New York expects:
If a US user lands on a UK page quoting pounds and offering “next-day courier within the UK”, that friction damages trust immediately.
Hreflang reduces that mismatch.
It reinforces other localisation signals such as:
This alignment improves engagement metrics, conversion rates and overall user satisfaction.
While Google has repeatedly stated that bounce rate itself is not a direct ranking factor, search systems do measure user satisfaction signals. Search Engine Journal and other industry publications have discussed how intent alignment influences long-term performance.
If users consistently return to the search results because the page does not match their expectations, rankings rarely improve.
Hreflang protects against this scenario by ensuring:
For UK businesses expanding into Europe, the US or beyond, this becomes commercially critical. It is not about ranking higher everywhere. It is about ranking appropriately in each market and converting that traffic effectively.
Clean international targeting supports scalable growth. Poor targeting creates technical debt.
Not every site needs hreflang.
You should consider using hreflang if:
Not every site needs hreflang. Implementing it unnecessarily adds technical overhead without delivering meaningful benefit.
You should strongly consider using hreflang if:
In these cases, search engines must choose between multiple versions of the same content. Hreflang removes that guesswork.
If your site uses:
Those pages will often contain a similar structure and messaging.
Without hreflang, Google may:
Hreflang ensures each directory is recognised as region-specific rather than redundant.
If you translate your UK service pages into French, German or Spanish, those versions clearly target different audiences.
Even though the content is linguistically different, the intent is identical.
Hreflang clusters those pages together and signals that they are alternate versions of the same core content. This prevents them from being treated as separate competing entities.
This is where many UK businesses get it wrong.
English is spoken in the UK, US, Australia and Ireland. But these are not interchangeable markets.
Differences include:
Using en-gb and en-us explicitly helps reinforce that distinction. Without it, your UK content may start ranking in the US and vice versa.
Want to see what this looks like in the wild? Here is a peek under the hood at the actual HTML source code from Jeep's website, showing exactly how a massive global brand handles complex language and regional targeting.
You usually do not need hreflang if:
For example, if you run a UK-only ecommerce site with no international expansion plans, adding hreflang provides no additional clarity.
Similarly, if you automatically translate content but do not generate separate crawlable URLs for each language, hreflang cannot function properly.
That brings us to the critical rule.
Hreflang only works when each language or regional version has its own crawlable, indexable URL.
This means:
If the alternate version does not exist as a separate, indexable page, there is nothing for hreflang to reference.
Hreflang does not create international SEO structure. It clarifies it.
If the underlying architecture is not built correctly, hreflang cannot fix it.
For UK businesses planning international growth, the best time to implement hreflang is at the point of structural expansion, not as a late-stage patch.
Hreflang works by creating a relationship between equivalent pages.
Each page must reference:
Search engines use these signals collectively. A single incorrect or missing reference can break the whole setup.
This is why hreflang errors are so common on large or complex websites.
Hreflang values use ISO standards:
Common examples include:
Language targeting and country targeting are not the same thing. en-gb is different from en-us, even though both represent English. Precision matters! Incorrect codes invalidate the signal entirely.
There are three main ways to implement hreflang tags:
This is the most common method and works well for most websites.
Hreflang tags are placed in the <head> section of each page.
Example:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-gb" href="https://example.com/uk/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us" href="https://example.com/us/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/" />
This method is often used for non-HTML files, such as PDFs.
It requires server-level configuration and is less common for standard websites.
Hreflang can also be implemented within XML sitemaps.
This is often preferred for large websites because it keeps hreflang management centralised and easier to audit.
Google supports this approach and outlines the required syntax in its Search Central documentation
The x-default value is used to specify a fallback page when no other language or region matches the user.
This is commonly used for:
Hreflang issues are among the most frequent problems we see during international SEO audits.
Some of the most common mistakes include:
Consistency across technical signals is essential.
There is no single “hreflang test” button, but you can validate your setup using a combination of tools.
Practical checks include:
Regular audits are important, especially if you frequently add or update international content.
For UK businesses, hreflang is often most relevant when expanding into:
Using en-gb specifically helps reinforce UK targeting alongside other signals such as local backlinks, GBP listings, and UK-based hosting.
Hreflang should always be part of a broader international SEO strategy, not a standalone fix.
Hreflang tags are not optional for serious international SEO. They are a foundational technical signal that helps search engines understand how your content is structured across regions and languages.
When implemented correctly, they reduce friction, improve relevance, and support sustainable international growth. When implemented poorly, they create confusion and wasted effort.
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