How can I manually set up hreflangs and other details on each page in Webflow to avoid duplicate content in different languages? Are there any best practices or other SEO aspects I should be aware of?

Published on
September 22, 2023

Setting up hreflangs and managing SEO aspects for multilingual websites in Webflow can be done manually and involves taking the following steps:

  1. Enable Multi-Language functionality: In the project settings, go to the "Languages" tab and add the languages you want to include on your site. This will enable language-specific URLs for each page.

  2. Create language-specific pages: Duplicate your original page for each language you want to support. For example, if you have an English page called "about", create a duplicate page called "about" in each language.

  3. Add a language switcher: Webflow provides a built-in language switcher component that you can add to each page. This allows users to switch between different language versions of your site. Customize the switcher to match your site's design.

  4. Set up proper hreflang tags: In each language-specific page's settings, you can manually add hreflang tags. These tags inform search engines about the relationship between different language versions of your content. Use the following format: <link rel="alternate" hreflang="xx" href="https://yoursite.com/language-page"/>. Replace "xx" with the appropriate language code, such as "en" for English or "es" for Spanish.

  5. Specify a default language: In project settings, choose a default language for your site. This will be used for users who don't have a specific language preference set in their browser.

  6. Implement proper canonical tags: To avoid duplicate content issues, make sure you have proper rel=canonical tags on each language-specific page. These tags should point to the canonical version of the content.

Some best practices and other SEO aspects to keep in mind when setting up hreflangs in Webflow:

  • Avoid machine translation: Machine translation can lead to poor quality content. Instead, consider using professional translation services or hiring native speakers to ensure accuracy and quality.

  • Unique meta tags: Each language version of your page should have unique meta tags, including title tags and meta descriptions. This helps search engines understand the language-specific intent of your content.

  • URL structure: Consider using language-specific subdirectories or subdomains for each language version of your site. For example, yoursite.com/en/ for English and yoursite.com/es/ for Spanish. This helps search engines identify and rank your language-specific content more effectively.

  • Localize your content: Adapt your content to fit the cultural and linguistic preferences of each target audience. This includes translating text, localizing images, and considering regional nuances.

  • Monitor and optimize: Regularly review your analytics to understand the performance of each language version of your site. Optimize content, keywords, and user experience based on insights gained from data analysis.

By following these best practices and implementing proper hreflangs, you can effectively manage multilingual content in Webflow while avoiding duplicate content issues and improving your site's SEO.

Additional questions:

  1. How can I add a language switcher in Webflow?
  2. What are some common mistakes to avoid when implementing hreflangs in Webflow?
  3. How can I measure the performance of each language version of my site in Webflow?