What if you really don't want to get into the hreflang game, maybe because it is considered one of the most complex aspects of SEO or maybe because you want Google to figure it out.
The good news, Google's John Mueller said when it comes to languages, Google is usually able to handle those languages without any hreflang markup on the page.
John Mueller said on Twitter iIf it's in a different language, usually Google can figure that out without hreflang." "Most queries are clearly in one language, so we can send users to that version of the page," he added.
It gets more complex when you start to target different countries with the same languages but maybe specific pieces of that content are different, like product pricing, shipping rates, etc. But when page A is in English and you want to also offer it in Spanish, making a new URL for that page and making it in Spanish, that is something Google can typically handle.
If it's in a different language, usually Google can figure that out without hreflang. Most queries are clearly in one language, so we can send users to that version of the page.
— John ☆.o(≧▽≦)o.☆ (@JohnMu) April 26, 2018
hreflang isn't an authority signal. It's a pretty basic technical element that not all sites need. No conspiracy here :-).
— John ☆.o(≧▽≦)o.☆ (@JohnMu) April 26, 2018
Forum discussion at Twitter.
