Hreflang Tags are a type of HTML markup used to indicate to search engines the linguistic and geographical targeting of a webpage. When a website provides content in multiple languages, hreflang tags assist search engines in presenting the appropriate language version of a page to users based on their location. For instance, if someone in the United States performs a search, they might be shown the English version of the page, whereas someone in Mexico might see the Spanish version.
These tags are crucial in managing SEO for multilingual websites because they help to prevent issues with duplicate content. By clarifying that similar content in different languages is intended for different audiences, hreflang tags ensure search engines recognize the content as tailored to specific users rather than mistakenly viewing it as redundant or manipulative. This enables search engines to serve the most relevant content to users, improving their search experience and helping website owners maintain a strong SEO presence.