Hreflangs

[SwanseaMedicine]

Hey all,

We have two different websites, one is a Chinese version of the site with a different URL (.com.cn). The language is all Chinese however, I've noticed there's nohreflang tag on the html. Is this an issue? Presumably, if they type in our Chinese website URL then it should be fine, but if they just search our company name, will the lack of hreflang cause issues?

Cheers,

Rhys

[StephanSolomonidis]

Hi Rhys,

Yes, I'd say if there's any ambiguity at all, it's better to implement hreflang. Even if there's only a small chance of confusion. For example, assuming there's an English-speaking customer based in China, you probably want them to see your English-language site. Google might get it right without your guidance, but if there's no hreflang, they might send the user to the .com.cn site because it seems more geographically appropriate. (And yes, I know Google pulled out of China but they are preparing to re-open there in some form, so now is a good time to prepare).

Basically, yes: hreflang isn't very complicated—especially with just two languages—so do sit down and think about the most suitable site for each combination of language and location, and then write out your hreflang tags from there.