What is Hreflang?
Definition
Hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and regional variant a page targets, and links to equivalent pages in other languages or regions. It prevents duplicate content issues for multilingual stores and ensures the right language version ranks in the right country.
Why Hreflang matters for Shopify stores
Shopify Markets allows selling in multiple languages and currencies. Without correct hreflang implementation, a French-language product page and its English equivalent compete against each other in search results — causing duplicate content issues and lower rankings in both regions.
Shopify example
A store with English (global) and French (France) storefronts adds hreflang tags: `<link rel='alternate' hreflang='en' href='https://store.com/products/ring'/>` and `<link rel='alternate' hreflang='fr-FR' href='https://store.com/fr-fr/products/ring'/>` on each respective page.
How Sauron handles Hreflang
Sauron can inject hreflang tags directly into the active Shopify theme's layout file via a Liquid snippet — no manual theme editing required. The injected block is cleanly removable.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Using hreflang='en' for a page targeting US English specifically — use 'en-US' for precision
- ✕ Not including a self-referencing hreflang tag on each page
- ✕ Asymmetric hreflang — Page A links to Page B but Page B doesn't link back to Page A
- ✕ Using hreflang with incorrect country codes (e.g., 'gb' instead of 'en-GB')
Related terms
Automate your Shopify SEO
Understanding Hreflang is step one. Sauron handles the implementation — automatically, for your entire Shopify store.