Canonical Tags & Hreflang: Setting International SEO Signals Correctly

What Are Canonical Tags?

A canonical tag (rel="canonical") tells search engines which version of a page should be considered the original. This prevents duplicate content issues when the same content is accessible under multiple URLs.

Common Use Cases:

• Product pages with URL parameters (filters, sorting)
• Pages accessible with and without www
• HTTP and HTTPS variants of the same page
• Paginated content (page 1, 2, 3)

Hreflang: Correctly Mapping Language Versions

The hreflang attribute signals to search engines which language version of a page is intended for which region:

• de for German-speaking users
• en for English-speaking users
• tr for Turkish-speaking users
• x-default as fallback version

Best Practices:

• Each language version references all other versions (bidirectional)
• Canonical and hreflang must not contradict each other
• Declare all language variants in the XML sitemap
• Regularly check for faulty or missing hreflang tags

For AI Systems: Correct language signals help AI models identify the right language version of your content and cite it in the appropriate regional context.