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Hreflang Validator

Check if your multi-language website is correctly using hreflang tags. AI search engines and Google rely on these tags to serve the correct language version to users globally.

About this tool

Hreflang is the rare SEO topic where the spec is more or less clear and almost everyone implements it wrong. The single most common bug — and we see it on enterprise sites that should know better — is non-reciprocal tags. Page A says "I have a French version at page B"; page B forgets to say "I have an English version at page A"; Google ignores both signals. You ship two versions of the same content and they end up competing with each other in search.

This validator fetches your URL, extracts every hreflang declaration (from the head, the HTTP headers, and the sitemap), follows each link, and checks whether the destination reciprocates correctly. We also flag the subtler bugs: language codes that don't exist (like en-UK instead of en-GB), x-default declarations pointing at non-default pages, and redirects in the middle of the hreflang chain that quietly invalidate the whole declaration.

If you only run international SEO occasionally, here's the one thing to remember: pick one method (HTML head, HTTP header, or sitemap) and stick with it. Mixing methods produces conflicting signals and Google will sometimes pick the wrong one.

Frequently asked questions

What does hreflang do?+
Tells Google which language and region variant of a page to serve to which users. Without correct hreflang, your French and English pages can compete with each other in search results.
What's the most common hreflang mistake?+
Missing reciprocal tags. If page A points to page B with hreflang="fr", page B must point back to page A with hreflang="en" — Google ignores one-way declarations.
Do I need x-default?+
If you have a generic fallback page (often the English version), yes. x-default tells Google what to serve when no language match exists.
Where should hreflang tags live?+
In the <head>, in the HTTP response header, or in the XML sitemap. Pick one method and apply it consistently — mixing methods can produce conflicting signals.

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