Hreflang Checker

A hreflang checker reads the language and region alternates a page declares and tests them for common mistakes: missing self-reference, invalid codes, missing x-default and links that do not point back. Hreflang tells search engines which version to show to which audience.

This tool fetches the address you enter once, from our server, and reports what a crawler would receive. The URL is not stored; only a short-lived rate-limit counter is kept. Results show the page at the moment of the check and can differ from what a logged-in browser or a bot with different headers sees.

How to read the result and act on it

Confirm the page lists a self-referencing hreflang entry and an entry for each alternate version, using valid codes such as en-us, en-in or hi. Check there is an x-default pointing to the fallback or language selector page. Each alternate URL should return 200, be indexable and be the canonical version of that page. The most frequent failure is missing return links: if page A lists B, then B must list A. Open the alternate pages and confirm they declare the same set. Fix errors in one place if possible, either the head, HTTP headers or the XML sitemap, and avoid mixing methods that disagree.

Common mistakes to avoid

Invalid codes are a classic issue, such as en-uk instead of en-gb, or using a country alone without a language. Pointing hreflang at redirected, noindex or canonicalised URLs makes the annotation unusable. Many sites forget the self-reference or only add it on one page of the set. Translating only part of a page while claiming a full alternate also causes confusion. Do not use hreflang to target different pages with unrelated content. Automatic redirection of users by IP address can block crawlers from reaching alternates. Finally, hreflang is a signal for choosing between equivalent pages, and it does not pass rankings from one version to another.

What is hreflang?

An annotation that tells search engines which language or regional version of a page to show to which users.

Does every alternate need to link back?

Yes. Hreflang must be reciprocal: if page A points to B, B must point to A.

Is hreflang needed for one-language sites?

No. It is for sites with multiple language or regional versions.

What is the correct hreflang format for India and the US?

Use language and optional region codes, such as en-in for English in India and en-us for English in the United States, in lowercase or standard case. Add x-default for a fallback. Each page must list itself and all alternates.

Where can hreflang be implemented?

There are three options: link tags in the HTML head, Link headers in the HTTP response, or entries in an XML sitemap. Pick one method per set of pages and keep it consistent, because conflicting sources make debugging harder.

• Hreflang Tag Generator: Produce correct hreflang tags for multi-language and multi-region sites.
• Canonical Tag Checker: Check a page's rel=canonical in the HTML and headers, and whether it points to itself.
• XML Sitemap Validator: Fetch a sitemap and check the format, URL count, size limits and a sample of listed URLs.

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