Should you use different languages on your website? Can different languages improve your Google search ranking? Is Google consider language as a ranking factor?
Today, we will discuss and clear the doubts.
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| Is Language a Ranking Factor in Google Search Result or Not?: eAskme |
Some websites use multiple languages to target people based on their language.
But is it necessary to use different languages to improve organic search ranking?
To understand the answer, first, you need to understand the connection between Google search ranking and languages.
Claim: Language is a Google Ranking Factor
You are writing content in English to target English-speaking people.
But English is not the only language.
You may not rank better against the queries in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or any other language.
Because those businesses are targeting non-English-speaking customers.
It seems ideal to use multiple languages to target a wider audience and improve search ranking.
- You can use hreflang to tell search engines about the country and target language. <link “rel=alternate” href=”https://www.eaxmple.com” hreflang=”en-us”>
- Or, you can use a meta tag to declare country and language. <meta http-equiv=”content-language” content=”en-us”>
- Another way is to use the country-specific domain to tell the search engines about your target country. For example, you can use example.it to tell that website is Italian.
- You can even use sub-directories to publish content based on different languages.
Evidence: Languages is a Ranking Factor
Google has published a detailed guide about using multilingual sites in their advanced SEO section in Google Search Console.
It will tell you if you should use and how you should use languages using meta tags, url structures and HTML tags.
Understand that Google display result based on the searcher’s interest. For example, if the person uses English as a language in India, Google will display the results for English speakers in India.
Sites are using following methods to declare language:
- https://example.in/en/
- https://example.com/en-in/
- <link rel=”alternate” href=”https://www.example.com” hreflang=”en-in”>
- <meta http-equiv=”content-language” content=”en-in”>
Conclusion: language is Probably a Ranking factor
Google has not officially confirmed language as a ranking factor.
But you will see how Google wants you to use language in your website. In addition, you will find the use of languages in their Advanced SEO documentation.
Your settings should display your target country and location.
This is why major businesses are using different languages to target people living in different countries.
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