What is x-default?
The x-default is a value you can use in a hreflang tag on your Web site to indicate which version of a page should be shown to users when their language or regional setting does not match the versions available on your site. Hreflang tags help search engines determine which language or regional version of a page should be shown to users based on their location and preferences. The x-default value acts as a kind of safety net, ensuring that visitors are always shown a relevant version of your site, even if there is no exact match.
The x-default is especially useful for Web sites that support multiple languages and regions. Suppose you have a website with different language versions, such as English for the US, English for the UK and Spanish for Spain. If a user comes from a country for which you don't have a specific version, such as France, the x-default will still cause an appropriate page to be displayed, such as the general English version of your site. This prevents the user from ending up on an error page or seeing a less relevant version of your site.
In practice, using the x-default is important for SEO, especially for Web sites that are available in multiple languages. A best practice is to set the x-default on the page most appropriate for a global audience, such as the English version of your site if that is the most universal option. This helps search engines display the correct version of your site to users, leading to a better user experience and higher rankings in search results. By implementing hreflang tags correctly in conjunction with the x-default, you ensure that your multilingual website performs optimally and meets the needs of users around the world.
