hreflang conflict and possible dual content Netherlands and belgium?

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client is experiencing issues with duplicate content and poor indexing for Belgium and the Netherlands, and an hreflang test error due to incorrect 'lang' attribute settings. The client asked how to make .fr and .be domains visible in Belgium and how to correct the hreflang error where the 'lang' attribute is 'bel', which differs from the specified Hreflang 'nl-be'.

Solution:
We advised the client to change the 'Default locale' setting from 'bel' (Belarusian) to 'nl_BE' for Dutch (Belgium) to address the hreflang error. Regarding the visibility of .fr and .be in Belgium, we clarified that all languages are available regardless of the visitor's country. If the client has set up different domains for each language, such as .fr for French and .be for Dutch Belgium, and wants to display French on the .be site, they could consider using a subdomain like fr.belgiumdomain.be. For more details on setting up different domains per language, visit WPML documentation on language URL options.

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Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 1 reply, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Nicolas V. 9 months, 3 weeks ago.

Assisted by: Nicolas V..

Author	Posts
September 12, 2024 at 1:54 pm #16171338
michaelL-151	Background of the issue: I have a problem possibly with duplicate content or poor indexing for the country Belgium and Netherlands. Belgium is part Dutch and part French. How can I set .fr and .be to be visible in Belgium? I also get an error with the hreflang test. The lang attribute on is bel, which is different from the language specified in Hreflang for this page (nl-be). Perhaps I did not set something correctly? If I replace bel for BE, WordPress also gives an error message. Symptoms: I get an error with the hreflang test. The lang attribute on is bel, which is different from the language specified in Hreflang for this page (nl-be). Questions: How can I set .fr and .be to be visible in Belgium? How can I fix the hreflang error where the lang attribute on is bel, which is different from the language specified in Hreflang for this page (nl-be)?
September 12, 2024 at 4:59 pm #16173014
Nicolas V. Supporter Languages: English (English ) French (Français ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, Welcome to the WPML support forum. From the screenshot provided, it seems like your "Default locale" is incorrectly set to "bel," which refers to Belarusian. I would recommend changing it to "nl_BE" for Dutch (Belgium). Regarding having two local languages based on the same language (in this case, Dutch), it could potentially create a "duplicate content" issue if there are no notable differences between them. For instance, while I don't speak Dutch, we can compare it to French: if you already have French for France, it might not make much sense to add French for Belgium due to their similarities. However, adding French Canadian might be beneficial, as there are significant differences, including the currency. Ultimately, this decision depends on your specific context. For example, if you want your visitors to identify their country by flag, it makes sense to have both The Netherlands and Belgium. So, in the end, it’s entirely up to you. How can I set .fr and .be to be visible in Belgium? I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this question. All languages are available regardless of the visitor's country. Given that you have set up different domains for each language (e.g., .fr for French and .be for Dutch Belgium), if you want to also display French from Belgium, you could consider using a subdomain like fr.belgiumdomain.be. Ref: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/language-url-options/how-to-use-wpml-with-different-domains-per-language/ Please let me know if I understood correctly the second question.