hreflang
Definition
hreflang is HTML or HTTP markup that tells search engines which language and regional URL variant is intended for which audience.
By Vinespire Editorial Team, Editorial ·
This term is part of the full AI search glossary.
Full definition
When the same content exists in multiple languages or country versions, hreflang annotations (rel="alternate" hreflang="…") map each URL to a language–region code such as en-US or de-DE, plus an optional x-default. Annotations should be reciprocal so variants point to one another consistently.
Correct hreflang reduces the chance that the wrong locale ranks or is shown to users. Errors—missing return tags, invalid codes, or self-referential mistakes—are common and can leave annotations ignored.
For AI search, clear locale signals help systems retrieve and cite the right regional product, pricing, or legal page instead of mixing markets. See Canonical URL and Indexability.
Example
A product page includes <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-GB" href="https://example.com/uk/widget" /> and a matching reverse tag on the UK URL pointing back to the US variant.