Free SEO tool
Check any page for hreflang errors in seconds. The checker reads the page you enter, then visits every language version it links to and verifies return links, status codes, canonicals and language codes.
No hreflang tags yet? Create them with the free hreflang generator
International SEO
This tool checks one page. Hreflang problems usually sit in templates, CMS settings or sitemaps, which means they affect every page on your site. In an International SEO review I check hreflang, canonicals and language targeting across your whole site, and give your developers a prioritised fix list.
ISO 639-1 language and ISO 3166-1 country codes, with common mistakes such as en-UK, jp or underscores.
Every alternate must link back to the entered page. Missing return links are the most common reason Google ignores hreflang.
The page should list itself, and an x-default fallback is recommended.
Alternates must return 200 directly, not redirect or return 404.
Hreflang only works on canonical pages. We flag pages that canonicalise elsewhere.
Noindexed pages cannot be hreflang alternates.
Relative URLs, conflicting codes and duplicate entries.
Whether every version lists the same set and uses the same codes.
Single-URL mode reads hreflang from the HTML and HTTP headers. Sitemap mode also reads hreflang from your XML sitemap and checks up to 500 URLs. Larger sites and site-wide patterns are covered in a full audit.
Related guide
How to Do International SEO in 2026: A Step-by-Step Guide
Hreflang is one part of a working international setup. Learn how to research markets, choose a URL structure, avoid canonical conflicts and localize your content.
Hreflang is an HTML attribute (or HTTP header or sitemap entry) that tells search engines which language or country a page targets, and which other versions of the same page exist. It helps Google show the right version to the right user.
Hreflang must be confirmed in both directions. If your English page lists the German page as an alternate, the German page must also list the English page. Without that return link, Google ignores the annotation.
x-default is optional but recommended. It tells search engines which page to show to users whose language or country does not match any of your versions, usually your main version or a language selector.
The most common causes are missing return links, invalid codes such as en-UK, alternates that redirect or return errors, and pages whose canonical points to another URL.
Yes. Switch to Whole sitemap and enter your sitemap URL, your domain, or upload the sitemap file. The checker reads up to 500 URLs (sitemap indexes and .gz files included), combines hreflang from the HTML, HTTP headers and the sitemap's xhtml:link tags, and checks every page and its return links.
On a page with its own language or regional version, the canonical usually points to the page itself, and the hreflang annotations list that URL plus its counterparts. For near-identical regional pages in the same language, sharing one canonical while keeping hreflang can also be a deliberate choice. Which approach fits depends on how much the versions really differ.
Yes. Valid hreflang only tells Google which pages belong together. Versions can still redirect visitors by their browser language, be partly untranslated, or be missing in some languages. The free Multilingual SEO Checker tests that across your site.