Evaluate the best-fit hreflang implementation method (HTML header tags, HTTP header, or XML sitemap) based on your site and project requirements and existing constraints.
Specify the hreflang code pattern
Define the hreflang tagging to be used in the implementation on the different language/country pages.
You can refer to Google's official specification , as well as the supported country and language formats and values, to avoid including them in incorrect locations, or with unsupported tags, attributes, or v philippines phone code alues.
Validate hreflang implementation in a test environment
Tagged pages should be crawled in a test environment before launch to identify potential tagging errors.
Monitoring and troubleshooting hreflang implementation issues after launch
Tagged pages should be recrawled after launch and monitored using the Google Search Console International Targeting report to identify any remaining issues.
You should also initiate ongoing monitoring to identify any issues that arise when publishing new pages, as well as changing or deleting existing ones.
Additionally, you can identify potential misalignment issues for new languages and countries in search results through the Google Search Console performance report.
Establishes a guide with best practices for hreflang implementation that should always be followed
Document the scope and implementation rules for hreflang that you have defined and that should be followed and considered whenever publishing pages in the relevant languages and/or countries or when changing or removing URLs.
This documentation is necessary to ensure that hreflang annotations can be updated effectively.
With this hreflang implementation process, errors should be minimized and, if they do arise, they should be quickly identified and resolved.
I hope this post helps you avoid these common mistakes in international SEO processes, and if you already suffer from them, it allows you to solve them more quickly.
Do you still have any questions about the most common mistakes in international SEO processes? We open the debate thread in the comments.