_{What are "hreflang tag errors" in Search Console?}

In Google Search Console, hreflang tag errors relate to problems with using hreflang tags on a website. Hreflang tags are HTML tags that show the language and target location of web pages to search engines. These tags are important for making sure that the right version of a webpage appears in search results for users in different countries or languages. Here are five important points about hreflang tag errors:

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• Accurate Targeting: Hreflang tags help search engines display the correct webpage version to users based on their language and location. This improves the user experience and brings in more relevant visitors.

• Preventing Duplicate Content: Hreflang tags prevent issues where the same content appears on different URLs, which can lead to penalties for having duplicate content.

• International SEO Optimization: Using hreflang tags is crucial for optimizing SEO efforts on international websites. They help search engines understand different language versions and improve rankings in regional search results.

• Better User Experience: When hreflang tags are implemented correctly, users see the most relevant version of a webpage based on their language and location preferences. This creates a personalized experience, increasing engagement and satisfaction.

• Error Detection and Fixing: Monitoring hreflang tag errors in Google search console is important for finding and resolving implementation problems, such as incorrect language codes or missing tags. Regular checks ensure that search engines display the right webpage versions.

_{How to find and resolve "hreflang tag errors" in Google Search Console:}

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Step 1: Access Google Search Console

Log in to your Google search console account (https://search.google.com/search-console) using your credentials.

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Step 2: Select the Correct Property

Choose the website property for which you want to find and resolve hreflang tag errors from the property list.

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Step 3: Navigate to the International Targeting Report

In the left-hand menu, click on "International Targeting" under the "Enhancements" section. This report provides insights into issues related to hreflang tags.

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Step 4: Identify Hreflang Tag Errors

Within the International Targeting report, review the "Hreflang tags" section. Here, you'll find a summary of any existing hreflang tag errors on your website.

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Step 5: Explore the Details

Click on the "Open Report" button in the "Hreflang tags" section to get more detailed information about the specific hreflang tag errors detected.

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Step 6: Review the Error Examples

In the "Hreflang tags" report, you'll find a list of specific error examples. These examples will highlight the URLs affected by the errors and provide additional details about each error.

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Step 7: Analyze the Error Types

Understand the types of errors mentioned in the report, such as missing return tags, incorrect language codes, or conflicting hreflang tags. This analysis will help you determine the nature of the errors and how to address them.

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Step 8: Fix the Hreflang Tag Errors

To resolve the hreflang tag errors, go to your website's HTML code. Identify the affected pages and ensure that the hreflang tags are implemented correctly. Make any necessary corrections to the language codes, regional targeting, or return tags based on the error descriptions provided in the report.

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Step 9: Test and Validate

After making the required changes to the hreflang tags, verify the implementation by testing the affected pages using the "URL Inspection" tool in Google Search Console. This tool will confirm whether the errors have been resolved and the tags are now correctly implemented.

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Step 10: Request a Crawl

To expedite the process, you can submit the fixed pages for a re-crawl through the "URL Inspection" tool. This will prompt Google to re-index the pages and update their understanding of the hreflang tags.

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Step 11: Monitor the International Targeting Report

Keep an eye on the International Targeting report in Google Search Console to ensure that the hreflang tag errors no longer appear and that the correct versions of your web pages are being displayed to users in different languages and regions.

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By following these steps, you can successfully find and resolve hreflang tag errors in Google Search Console, improving your website's language and regional targeting and enhancing the overall user experience.

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Note: The International Targeting report has been deprecated. Google will continue to support and use hreflang tags on your pages. However, the ability to target search results to specific countries using Search Console country targeting was determined to have little value for the ecosystem and is no longer supported.

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