{"id":2107,"date":"2021-12-19T09:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T09:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/?p=2107"},"modified":"2021-12-19T18:10:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-19T18:10:29","slug":"is-language-a-google-ranking-factor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/is-language-a-google-ranking-factor\/2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Language A Google Ranking Factor?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Websites in multiple languages enable you to target people based on their preferred language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can the use of multiple languages, however, have an impact on your organic search rankings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to find out if there is a link between language and higher Google rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language Is a Ranking Factor, According to the Claim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to reach people who speak English, write your content in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the same English content is unlikely to rank well in markets dominated by Chinese, Arabic, or Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses that want to reach customers in specific countries who speak different languages can do so by creating content in multiple languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it seems logical that language plays a role in how Google ranks webpages, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can tell search engines what language and country you want them to target by using the methods listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first option is to use the hreflang attribute, which informs search engines about the page’s target language and country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<link rel=\u201dalternate\u201d href=\u201dhttps:\/\/www.site.com\u201d hreflang=\u201den-uk\u201d><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

<meta http-equiv=\u201dcontent-language\u201d content=\u201den-uk\u201d><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both cases, the hreflang and meta tags inform search engines that the page is intended for English speakers in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Are HTML Heading Tags (H2-H6) Used in Google Ranking?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language as a Ranking Factor: Evidence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google also mentions language in its explanation of how search algorithms work. It reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSearch settings are also an important indicator of which results you\u2019re 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).\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n