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Technical SEO

Hreflang Checker

Enter a URL to check its hreflang tags. The checker validates every language and region code, then opens each language version the page lists and confirms that it loads, isn't redirected or noindexed, and links back — the return-link rule Google requires before it uses a pair of pages.

Use it after adding a translation, launching a country version or moving a multilingual site. It reads hreflang from the page's HTML; annotations in sitemaps or HTTP headers aren't checked here.

FreeNo signupChecks the live pageUpdated October 2026

Hreflang Checker

Our server fetches the public page you name and keeps no copy of it.
Read the result

The hreflang rules Google checks

hreflang is a hint, not a command — and Google only takes it when the codes are valid and the versions confirm each other.

  • de

    Language: ISO 639-1

    Two letters: en, de, uk, ja. Three-letter codes and country codes used as languages (jp, ua) are ignored.

  • de-AT

    Optional region: ISO 3166-1

    A country after a hyphen: en-GB, es-MX, de-AT. Never a region on its own.

  • en-UK

    The classic mistake

    UK isn't a country code — the United Kingdom is GB, so en-UK is ignored. Use en-GB.

  • self

    List yourself too

    Every version names itself and all the others, with the same set on every page.

  • A ↔ B

    Return links

    If A points to B, B must point to A. Without the return link Google ignores the pair.

  • x-default

    A fallback for everyone else

    Optional: the page for searchers whose language you don't target, often a language picker.

A complete hreflang set

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/en/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://example.com/de/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="uk" href="https://example.com/uk/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/" />
The same four lines go into the head of /en/, /de/ and /uk/: every version lists itself and the others.
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How it works

How to check hreflang tags

  1. 01

    Enter one version's URL

    Any language works: the checker reads its hreflang links and follows them to the other versions.

  2. 02

    Read the table

    One row per version: the code, the URL, its status and whether it links back.

  3. 03

    Fix codes and return links

    Correct invalid codes (en-UK becomes en-GB), make URLs absolute and add the missing links on versions that don't point back.

  4. 04

    Copy the complete set

    The corrected block of link tags goes into the head of every version, so each one lists itself and all the others.

Honest notes

What this checker does and does not do

It checks hreflang in the page's HTML head. Google also accepts hreflang in XML sitemaps and HTTP Link headers; those aren't read here, and the same rules apply to them.

It fetches up to 10 language versions per check, in parallel and within a time limit. The codes of all versions are validated even when a version isn't fetched.

Codes are checked against ISO 639-1 languages and ISO 3166-1 countries, the formats Google documents. Valid tags don't guarantee Google shows the right version: it treats hreflang as a strong hint.

Our server requests the public pages, returns the facts and keeps no copy.

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Frequently asked questions

What is hreflang?

An HTML attribute that tells search engines which URLs hold the same content in other languages or for other countries: <link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://example.com/de/">. Google uses it to show each searcher the version in their language or country instead of whichever one happens to rank.

What are hreflang return links?

If the English page names the German one as an alternate, the German page must name the English one too. Google ignores pairs that don't confirm each other — the most common hreflang failure, and the one this checker tests by opening every version.

Do I need x-default?

It's optional but recommended. x-default names the page for everyone whose language or country you don't target — usually a language picker or your main version. Without it, Google picks a fallback itself.

Is it en-UK or en-GB?

en-GB. Region codes follow ISO 3166-1, where the United Kingdom is GB; UK isn't a valid region code. Likewise Japanese is ja (not jp), Ukrainian is uk (not ua) and Chinese is zh, with a region (zh-TW) or a script (zh-Hant) when you need to tell versions apart.

Should hreflang URLs be canonical?

Yes. Each version should be its own canonical URL, answer 200 and be indexable. hreflang on a page whose canonical points elsewhere is ignored, and a version that redirects or is noindexed can't be shown.

Does hreflang improve rankings?

Not directly. It doesn't make a page rank higher; it makes Google swap in the right language version where one of your versions already ranks, so visitors don't land on a page in the wrong language and leave.
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