How does preferred language ordering impact multilingual SERPs?

Yeah, preferred language ordering can sometimes override hreflang if Google thinks the user's browser or account language preferences matter more. I've seen English pages show up first for users who had their browser primarily in English, even if their geo or search was in another language and hreflang was set up right. Check your server logs for Accept-Language headers and run searches in incognito with different browser language orders to see what gets served. If Google is still picking English, add self-referencing hreflang, double-check canonical tags, and try making the localized pages stronger with internal links and better local signals.

Yeah, Google's patent on preferred language ordering can definitely impact multilingual SERPs by re-ranking results based on the user's language preferences, sometimes ahead of hreflang. I've seen cases where even with perfect hreflang, Google surfaces English pages for users with browsers set to English or with mixed Accept-Language headers. They're pulling hints from Chrome settings and maybe even search history. Make sure you're not just relying on hreflang: check your server headers for Accept-Language, review Search Console International Targeting, and run tests with different browser language orders. If your localized pages are thin or load slow compared to your English page, Google might choose the stronger version regardless. Try beefing up local content and check that internal links and canonical tags don't point to the English by default.