AreaAudit

Which languages each generator says it supports, and where

Language cluster: the set of addresses that are each other alternates

A language cluster is a set of addresses that each declare the others as alternates. Maintaining one tells a search engine that near-identical pages are deliberate versions rather than duplicates, which is worth real traffic to a company selling in several markets. As of 2026-09-22.

A complete cluster, and the two ways one goes staleA complete cluster has every address listing every other, including itself. A one-way cluster has addresses that are listed and do not list back. A stale cluster lists an address that now redirects or is gone, and a count taken from the markup still includes it.What does the markup show?All list each otherA maintained clusterThe set is deliberateand somebody is keepingit current.Some do not list backPart of it may bestaleA version was retiredand the declarationswere not all updated.A listed address is goneThe declarationoutlived the pageA maintenance failurerather than a falseclaim, and common enoughto check.A cross-domain cluster is a different object entirely
Fig. 1 Clusters are maintained because duplicate content across language versions costs traffic, which is why they are decent evidence about where a company sells.
A complete cluster against the two ways one usually breaks. Recorded 2026-09-22.
StateWhat the markup showsWhat a reader should conclude
CompleteEvery address lists every other, including itselfThe set is maintained
One-wayOne address lists others that do not list backPart of the set may be stale
Stale targetAn address is listed but redirects or is goneThe declaration outlived the page
No clusterNo alternates anywhereNothing is claimed, and nothing is ruled out

Inclusion rule. The states a cluster can be in as seen from the markup alone. Judging which state a vendor is in requires opening the addresses. Order. Complete first, then the failure modes.

1Why a cluster is maintained at all

Several pages saying nearly the same thing in different languages look like duplicate content. A declared cluster tells a search engine they are alternates and that each belongs to a different audience, which stops the engine picking one and ignoring the rest.

That commercial motive is why these declarations are decent evidence. They are maintained because they pay, so they tend to reflect where a vendor is actually selling rather than where it would like to.

2Clusters go stale quietly

A language version gets retired, the declaration stays, and it now points at a redirect or a missing page. Nothing on the surviving pages changes, and a count taken from the markup will include the dead entry.

That is a maintenance failure rather than a false claim, and it is common enough to be worth checking rather than assuming. It is also the main argument for recording the date a count was taken.

3A cluster spanning two domains is a different object

Where a cluster reaches across domains, the pages on the other domain belong to that domain. Whether they are the same company, a licensee or a partner cannot be read from the markup.

This register keeps counts to the host being read for that reason, and prints the cross-domain declarations separately. Two vendors here lose a Chinese alternate that way, and two more lose most of their set.

A definition, not a measurement: no vendor figure appears here that is not also in the register. Both discarded Chinese alternates are recorded on the vendor pages that declare them.

Nearby terms: Locale, Language switcher. The whole vocabulary is at terms; nothing on this page is a claim about a named product.