Understanding the Lang Attribute in SEO in 10 points

Lang Attribute

The lang attribute in SEOalso known as the language attribute, is a crucial element for optimising the referencing your natural website.

It allows search engines such as Google understand the language in which your content is written, which helps to better index and classify your pages.

In this article, we'll look at 10 key points to understand the importance of lang attributes in SEO.

1. Definition of the Lang Attribute

The language attribute is an element of the HTML which specifies the language used on a page or a specific part of a web document. It takes the form of a <html> with the "lang" attribute followed by its ISO 639-1 equivalent. For example : <html lang=" »fr »"> to indicate that the content is written in French.

2. Importance for search engines

Search engines such as Googleuse the lang attribute to determine the language of your content and associate it with users who speak that language. Correct use of lang attribute facilitates indexing of your site and improves its relevance in targeted search results.

2.1 Indexing pages

By understanding the language of your content thanks to the lang attribute, search engines can better index your pages and avoid the duplicate content. If you offer several language versions of the same page, the correct use of language attributes will help search engines to understand that these are distinct pages and not duplicates.

2.2 Targeting the audience

By determining the language of your content, search engines are able to target users who speak that language more precisely. This increases the effectiveness of your SEO efforts by improving the relevance of your site in search results for a targeted audience.

3. How do you add lang attribute to your HTML code?

To add the lang attribute to your HTML code, simply use the <html> with the "lang" attribute followed by the ISO 639-1 code corresponding to the language of your content. You can also use the "xml:lang" attribute if your document is based on XML.

For a page in French : <html lang=" »fr »">
For a page in English : <html lang=" »en »">
For a page in Spanish : <html lang=" »es »">

Don't forget to close the </html> at the end of your document.

4. Use of hreflang tags

In addition to lang attribute, you can use the tags hreflang tags to indicate to search engines the different language versions of the same page. These tags make it possible to improve the indexing of multilingual pages and to target your website more effectively. audience.

To add a hreflang tagtag, use the tag with the "rel" (relationship) and "hreflang" attributes in the section of your HTML code :

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/english/">

5. Managing regional languages

If you want to manage regional variants of a language, use the ISO 639-1 format followed by the country code in lower case, separated by a hyphen. For example :

American English : <html lang=" »en-US »">
British English : <html lang=" »en-GB »">
Canadian French : <html lang=" »fr-CA »">
Mexican Spanish : <html lang=" »es-MX »">

6. Using lang attribute for specific elements

You can also use the lang attribute to specify the language of a particular element of your document, such as a paragraph, a quote or a title. To do this, add the 'lang' attribute to the element in question:

<p lang="en">This paragraph is in English.</p>
<q lang="es">Esta cita está en español.</q>
<h3 lang="fr">This title is in French.</h3>

7. Accessibility and compliance with web standards

In addition toimprove referencing of your site, the correct use of lang attribute also ensures better accessibility for users with specific needs, such as screen readers for the visually impaired. The lang attribute makes it easier for all users to navigate and understand your content, offering a clearer overview of your content. user experience optimal.

8. Improved ranking in search results

The correct use of lang attribute and hreflang tags helps to improve your site's ranking in targeted search results. Search engines are better able to understand and index your content, which increases its relevance and visibility to an audience that speaks the language of your site.

9. Adaptation to users' language preferences

Thanks to the language attribute, browsers can adapt the display of pages according to users' language preferences. For example, if a user prefers French and your site is available in French thanks to the appropriate language attribute, the browser will automatically display the French version of your site.

10. Performance tracking by language

Correct use of the lang attribute and hreflang tags makes it easier for you to monitor your site's performance for each language. This means you can tailor your SEO efforts to the specific needs of your multilingual audience and improve your site's overall ranking in search results.

In short, the SEO lang attribute is an essential element for optimising the natural referencing of your multilingual site. It guarantees better indexation of your pages, precise targeting of your audience and an optimal user experience. Don't forget to also use hreflang tags to indicate the different language versions of the same page.