Is Language A Google Ranking Factor?

Websites in multiple languages enable you to target people based on their preferred language.

Can the use of multiple languages, however, have an impact on your organic search rankings?

Continue reading to find out if there is a link between language and higher Google rankings.

Language Is a Ranking Factor, According to the Claim

If you want to reach people who speak English, write your content in English.

However, the same English content is unlikely to rank well in markets dominated by Chinese, Arabic, or Spanish.

Businesses that want to reach customers in specific countries who speak different languages can do so by creating content in multiple languages.

So it seems logical that language plays a role in how Google ranks webpages, doesn’t it?

You can tell search engines what language and country you want them to target by using the methods listed below.

The first option is to use the hreflang attribute, which informs search engines about the page’s target language and country.

The second option is to use the content language meta tag, which informs search engines about the page’s target language and country.

In both cases, the hreflang and meta tags inform search engines that the page is intended for English speakers in the United Kingdom.

Top-level domain names can be used for specific countries, such as https://domain.it/ for an Italian website. This informs search engines that the entire website is aimed at people in Italy.

Subdirectories can also be used to separate content by language and country. The content found at https://domain.com/en-us/, for example, would be aimed at English speakers in the United States.

Read Are HTML Heading Tags (H2-H6) Used in Google Ranking?

Language as a Ranking Factor: Evidence

Google Search Central’s Advanced SEO section contains in-depth advice on how to manage multi-regional and multilingual sites. It describes how to tell Google about different language versions by using the HTML tags, meta tags, and URL structures discussed previously.

Google also mentions language in its explanation of how search algorithms work. It reads:

“Search settings are also an important indicator of which results you’re likely to find useful, such as if you set a preferred language or opted in to SafeSearch (a tool that helps filter out explicit results).”

If a searcher specifies English as their preferred language and Canada as their location, websites that target English speakers in Canada using the following methods have a better chance of outranking sites that do not specify a language or a country:

https://domain.ca/en/
https://domain.com/en-ca/
<link rel=”alternate” href=”https://www.site.com” hreflang=”en-ca”>
<meta http-equiv=”content-language” content=”en-ca”>

Google also advises the use of canonical tags in certain situations.

“If you provide similar or duplicate content on different URLs in the same language as part of a multi-regional site (for instance, if both example.de/ and example.com/de/ show similar German language content), you should pick a preferred version and use the rel=”canonical” element and hreflang tags to make sure that the correct language or regional URL is served to searchers.”

Google’s Advanced SEO documentation on consolidating duplicate URLs discusses how canonical tags and language interact.

“Different language versions of a single page are considered duplicates only if the main content is in the same language (that is, if only the header, footer, and other non-critical text is translated, but the body remains the same, then the pages are considered to be duplicates).”

Under their do’s and don’ts for canonicalization, they suggest that you:

“Specify a canonical page when using hreflang tags. Specify a canonical page in same language, or the best possible substitute language if a canonical doesn’t exist for the same language.”

Language As A Ranking Factor: Our Verdict

Google’s page on how search algorithms work discusses language. Language is also available in Google Search Central’s Advanced SEO documentation.

Although Google has not officially confirmed it as a ranking factor, language and country settings do affect search visibility for users who specify a specific language and location.

As a result, we’re confident that language is a Google ranking factor.

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