Hreflang to deindexed pages... alternative solutions?

[dennisjensen]

Hi guys,

Our site has an alternative language version, but it's unmaintained and rubbish, and I won't have it indexed (it's not an option to remove it, unfortunately). I don't mind users entering on their own. And this where it gets tricky. As I can't point hreflang towards deindexed pages ... can I do anything or should I just scrap the hreflangs to the deindexed pages?

Any ideas?

Kind regards
Dennis

[Shai]

You would not need to href Lang to a page or from a page that is noindexed/blocked . Or have I misunderstood the question?

[lucy24]

I can't point hreflang towards deindexed pages

Why not? How is it any different from any other link to a non-indexed page, which everyone does every day for all sorts of perfectly valid reasons?

Idle query: Does any human browser actually look at the hreflang tag and say “Psst! There’s a {your-preferred-language} version of this page”?

[dennisjensen]

Hi,

Shai, I don't think you're misunderstanding. Do you have any experience with this?

Lucy24, to my understanding that would ruin the effect. If I were to reference a deindexed page, the deindexed page can't reference back and so GSC would report the hreflang as faulty.

And, the idle question: No, a browser wouldn't care at all. But, how I imagine this works: I'm in France on a French IP but my browser's language settings are German, I search for 'iPhone'. If the fruit company has their hreflang correct - which I don't know if it's the case - the search engine could choose to show the fruit company's German site, despite me being in France.

That would be the reason for my question. But, come to think of it. The answer is simple. I think the alternative language version is rubbish, why would I want to reference it anywhere?

Thanks!

[lucy24]

I think the alternative language version is rubbish, why would I want to reference it anywhere?

If it's genuinely rubbish, why would you want to have it on your site in the first place?

:: vague recollection of netmeg saying that she never nofollows links, because it's either worth linking to or it isn't (except that her wording was more elegant) ::

[tangor]

Our site has an alternative language version, but it's unmaintained and rubbish, and I won't have it indexed (it's not an option to remove it, unfortunately).

Then let it die, quietly, not help, no effort, just ignore it. Anything you do to address it will only make the problem more obvious.

Do nothing.

A zillion others will have other opinions, YMMV.

Me, I just delete the rubbish and keep on truckin'.

[dennisjensen]

Thank you for response, everyone!

I'm afraid, I'm not Surpreme Chancellor on the site, so a complete removal of the alternative language version is not happening. But, I will ignore it and leave it out of the hreflang.