Implementing hreflang in a multilanguage store

[DML73]

Does anybody know exactly how to implement the hreflang tags to a multilanguage store? I guess it should be added to html_header.php, but what would the code look like?
I have the CEON URI module installed also.

[RodG]

Does anybody know exactly how to implement the hreflang tags to a multilanguage store? I guess it should be added to html_header.php, but what would the code look like?

http://www.w3schools.com/tags/att_a_hreflang.asp

[DML73]

Thanks for the link, however I am familiar with the tags, I was more referring to what the php code would look like.

[RodG]

Thanks for the link, however I am familiar with the tags, I was more referring to what the php code would look like.

Hmmmm......

example HTML

<a href="http://www.w3schools.com" hreflang="en">W3Schools</a>

Same example using PHP

<?php 
echo "<a href=\"http://www.w3schools.com\" hreflang=\"en\">W3Schools</a>" ; 
?>

I have a feeling that that this isn't quite what you are seeking though ???

Cheers
RodG

[DML73]

It was something like that I was looking for. However the hreflang tag needs to be "assigned" to each zencart page; for multiple languages. I guess it couldn't be made with a few lines of code.

[RodG]

It was something like that I was looking for. However the hreflang tag needs to be "assigned" to each zencart page; for multiple languages

I still don't quite follow what you are trying to do or achieve, but I'm guessing that you want the hreflang=\"en\" to be replaced with a variable?

If so then something like......

<?php 
$myVar = "en" ; 


echo "<a href=\"http://www.w3schools.com\" hreflang=\".$myVar.\">W3Schools</a>" ; 
?>

......should probably do the trick.

You will of course need to set the value of $myVar according to whatever condition it is you need it for though.

Perhaps if you could explain or demonstrate exactly what it is you are trying to do I/we may be able to offer more/better help.

Maybe this will also help?
https://support.google.com/webmaster...r/189077?hl=en


Cheers
RodG

[DML73]

Thanks, and sorry for not explaining clearly what it is Im trying to do. Here it is:

I have these two domains:

http://www.tronicore.co.uk/
http://www.tronicore.dk/

on the same server/same zencart installation. I am re-directing each language to the correct domain in htaccess.

The co.uk domain has all product and catagory pages like this example:
http://www.tronicore.co.uk/en/rs232-...422-converters

and all .dk product and catagory pages like this example:
http://www.tronicore.dk/da/rs232-rs485-konvertere

The CEON URL module adds the /en/ and /da/ sub-folders, and also the re-written URL of course.

Now I would like the hreflang tags to be assigned to all product and catagory pages in accordance to the link you mentioned (https://support.google.com/webmaster...r/189077?hl=en)

So for example the URL:
http://www.tronicore.co.uk/en/rs232-...422-converters

should contain:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="http://www.tronicore.co.uk/en/rs232-rs485-rs422-converters" />

and the URL:
http://www.tronicore.dk/da/rs232-rs485-konvertere

should contain:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="da" href="http://www.tronicore.dk/da/rs232-rs485-konvertere" />

All other product and category pages should follow this pattern.

[torvista]

Zen Cart 1.55a
in templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/html_header.php
we have

<?php
  // BOF hreflang for multilingual sites
  if (!isset($lng) || (isset($lng) && !is_object($lng))) {
    $lng = new language;
  }
  reset($lng->catalog_languages);
  while (list($key, $value) = each($lng->catalog_languages)) {
    if ($value['id'] == $_SESSION['languages_id']) continue;
    echo '<link rel="alternate" href="' . ($this_is_home_page ? zen_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT, 'language=' . $key, $request_type) : $canonicalLink . '&amp;language=' . $key) . '" hreflang="' . $key . '" />' . "\n";
  }
  // EOF hreflang for multilingual sites
?>

This produces a hreflang for each of the OTHER languages, but not that of this actual page.
ie if you offer english and spanish on your site, the english page generates:

<link rel="alternate" href="https://www.YOURSITE.com/somepage?language=es" hreflang="es">

From what I read here,
Concise
https://www.semrush.com/blog/7-commo...w-to-fix-them/
Detailed
https://moz.com/blog/using-the-corre...generator-tool

this is incomplete. There should also be a link to the self-same page:

<link rel="alternate" href="https://www.YOURSITE.com/somepage?language=es" hreflang="es">
<link rel="alternate" href="https://www.YOURSITE.com/somepage?language=en" hreflang="en">

I looked into this after receiving warning emails from Google Search Console,and this was the reason.

So, this link requires commenting out:

<?php
// BOF hreflang for multilingual sites
if (!isset($lng) || (isset($lng) && !is_object($lng))) {
$lng = new language;
}
reset($lng->catalog_languages);
while (list($key, $value) = each($lng->catalog_languages)) {
//if ($value['id'] == $_SESSION['languages_id']) continue;
echo '<link rel="alternate" href="' . ($this_is_home_page ? zen_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT, 'language=' . $key, $request_type) : $canonicalLink . '&amp;language=' . $key) . '" hreflang="' . $key . '" />' . "\n";
}
// EOF hreflang for multilingual sites
?>

[DrByte]

Question:
You suggested commenting out:

//if ($value['id'] == $_SESSION['languages_id']) continue;

... But on a site with only one language, that will cause the <link rel=alternate hreflang=foo> to appear. Is that desirable when there's no other language, and the language is already specified in the <html> tag?

[torvista]

Is that desirable when there's no other language, and the language is already specified in the <html> tag?

No. That's me not thinking outside my box.