If your site has pages in several languages or regions, hreflang tags tell Google which version to show to whom. Enter a URL to list its alternates and check them for the mistakes that make Google ignore them.
How to use the Hreflang checker
- Enter one language version of the page.
- Review the alternates, language codes and x-default.
- Fix missing return links and invalid codes.
The rules hreflang needs
Every version lists every other version and itself. Return links are required: if the English page points to the German one, the German page must point back. Codes are ISO language (en), optionally with region (en-GB). x-default names the fallback page for everyone else.
Common mistakes
Using a country code alone (uk instead of en-GB), pointing to redirected or noindexed URLs, and forgetting the self-reference. Any of these can make Google drop the whole set.
Reading the results
The table lists every alternate the page declares, with its code and URL; x-default is highlighted. The notes flag four problems: no x-default, no hreflang that points back to this exact URL, codes that aren't a valid language (two or three letters) with an optional region (two letters) or script (four letters), and the same code used twice. A single-language site with no hreflang passes; that is expected. The check reads the tags in this page's HTML. To confirm return links, run it on each alternate and make sure every one lists the same set.
Fixing a broken set
Generate the tags from one list of all versions so every page outputs the same set, including itself. Use absolute https URLs that return 200 and match each page's canonical. Write codes as language-region (en-US, pt-BR, zh-Hant for a script). Point x-default at a language picker or your main version. After changes, check Search Console's indexing reports for alternates Google chose not to use.