Hreflang Checker
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Audit the hreflang annotations on any page. We extract every entry from the HTML and HTTP headers, validate language and region codes, and flag missing x-default, missing self-references, and duplicates that break international SEO.
Enter a URL to check hreflang annotations:
How the Hreflang Checker Works
- Safe fetch, the host is validated before our server requests the page.
- Extract annotations, every hreflang from link tags and HTTP Link headers is collected.
- Validate codes, language and region values are checked against BCP 47 rules.
- Flag issues, missing x-default, missing self-reference, and duplicates are highlighted.
Why Hreflang Matters
- Right page, right user, search engines serve the correct language version.
- No duplicate-content confusion, hreflang clarifies near-identical localized pages.
- Stronger international rankings, correct clusters earn trust across markets.
- Fewer wasted crawls, clean signals help crawlers index the right URLs.
Common Hreflang Mistakes
- Missing return tags, annotations must be reciprocal to count.
- Wrong codes, use en, en-GB, or pt-BR, never a region-only code like UK.
- No self-reference, every page should reference itself.
- No x-default, add a fallback for unmatched languages.
Next steps
Hreflang Checker related tools and articles
Continue with the closest follow-up checks and guides based on this tool's topic, crawl intent, and optimization workflow.
Hreflang Checker: FAQ
What is hreflang and why does it matter?
hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and region a page targets. Correct hreflang annotations help Google serve the right language version to the right user, which prevents duplicate-content confusion and improves international rankings.
What does this hreflang checker do?
It fetches your page, extracts every hreflang annotation from link tags and HTTP headers, validates the language and region codes, and flags common problems like a missing x-default, missing self-reference, duplicates, and invalid codes.
What is a self-referencing hreflang?
Each page in a language group should include an hreflang entry pointing to itself. A missing self-reference is one of the most common hreflang mistakes and can stop Google from trusting the whole cluster.
What is x-default used for?
The x-default value marks the fallback page for users whose language or region does not match any of your specific versions. It is recommended for language selectors and global landing pages.
Why are my hreflang codes invalid?
hreflang values must use ISO 639-1 language codes, optionally followed by an ISO 3166-1 Alpha 2 region code, for example en, en-US, or pt-BR. Using a country code alone, a region without a language, or a made-up code is invalid.
Do hreflang tags need to be reciprocal?
Yes. If page A links to page B with hreflang, page B must link back to page A. Non-reciprocal annotations are ignored by Google. This checker lists each page entry so you can verify reciprocity across your set.
Can hreflang be set in HTTP headers or a sitemap?
Yes. hreflang can live in the HTML head, in HTTP Link headers, or in an XML sitemap. This tool reads both HTML link tags and HTTP Link headers so you see what crawlers actually receive.
Is this hreflang checker free?
Yes. It is free, requires no signup, and checks any public URL instantly.
Going International With Your Site?
We plan and implement multilingual SEO, from hreflang and URL structure to native copy that ranks in every market.