Utilizing Link-Attributes to Properly Promote Non-English Content.

With the Internet catering to such a large audience, it's not uncommon for content to be available in varying languages. One of the URLs generally displays the content in English, while the other is translated to a European language e.g. French, Russian, German, etc. When these multiple content scenarios arise, creators often wonder if they're breaching a duplication policy. Moreover, how to properly promote these URLs comes into question as well. The two main solutions people recommend are rel language tags and hreflang link-attributes.

The former is a formatting tool designed to support the use of multiple languages on a website. With SEO technology becoming increasingly more reliant on structure, rel language tag users need to ensure they are adequately incorporating these tags into their websites. The implementation of this tag allows Google to assess which language is being used so the site can show up on the appropriate search engine. There are three main ways a user can utilize this tag. The first is for a complete translation in which all the content is being altered. For users who only need to adjust the navigational components of a page e.g. sidebar or footer, rel language tags can be used in this manner as well. Finally, for sites that require only minimal alterations, rel language tags can be used for regional variations.

Rel and hreflang attributes essentially serve the same purpose. The hreflang-markup, much like the rel language tag, places emphasis on the geographical location, allowing Google to recognize the region that should be targeted. Alternate and hreflang tags serve as signals, steering Google in the right direction while simultaneously avoiding duplicate content. For users who aren't well-versed in the realm of hreflang link-attributes, hreflang markup-validator and hreflang markup-generator tools are available online.

As the web continually advances and offers varying platforms to a wide range of audiences, programmers and designers alike need to be aware of the growing popularity of multilingual and multiregional sites. Taking the necessary steps to avoid duplicating content is crucial for maintaining credibility online.