Hreflang Checker
Free tool · International SEO check
Hreflang checker
Check your hreflang implementation for language and regional targeting. Enter a page and the tool fetches every alternate it declares, checking whether each one links back and whether the page references itself.
What Is a Hreflang Checker?
A Hreflang Checker analyzes the hreflang annotations on a webpage to check whether its language and regional alternate URLs are implemented correctly.
It fetches every alternate URL a page declares and checks the two things that most commonly break an hreflang cluster: whether each alternate links back to the original page, and whether the page references its own language or regional version.
What This Hreflang Checker Checks
- Hreflang tags: Finds every hreflang annotation declared on the page.
- Alternate URLs: Fetches each alternate URL the page declares and reports whether it was reachable.
- Return tags: Checks each alternate for a reciprocal hreflang reference back to the original page, and flags any that are missing.
- Self-referencing hreflang: Checks whether the page includes an hreflang entry pointing to itself.
What This Hreflang Checker Does Not Check
- Does not validate whether the language or region code itself (such as en, en-US, or fr-FR) is a real, correctly formatted code
- Does not guarantee higher search rankings
- Does not guarantee that Google will select a specific regional URL
- Does not automatically fix hreflang tags
- Does not translate page content
- Does not replace a complete international SEO audit
Why Check Hreflang Tags?
Hreflang helps search engines understand which version of a page is intended for users in a particular language or region.
Incorrect implementation can cause alternate pages to be ignored or create inconsistent language and regional signals. A missing return link is treated as reason to ignore the whole annotation for that pair.
Use the checker to:
- Verify international SEO implementations
- Find missing return links between alternate pages
- Confirm a page correctly self-references
- Find alternate URLs that are unreachable
- Troubleshoot international page targeting
How to Check Hreflang
- Enter a page from the hreflang cluster you want to check.
- Run the check. The tool reads the page's hreflang tags and fetches every alternate URL it declares.
- Review the results: each alternate's URL, whether it was reachable, and whether it links back to the original page, plus whether the page self-references.
- Fix any alternate missing a return link or self-reference, then re-check the page to confirm it resolves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Hreflang Checker?
A Hreflang Checker analyzes hreflang tags and identifies common implementation issues such as missing return links, unreachable alternate URLs, and a missing self-reference.
What is hreflang used for?
Hreflang helps search engines understand which version of a webpage is intended for users based on language or region.
What is a hreflang return tag?
A return tag is a reciprocal hreflang reference. If Page A references Page B as an alternate, Page B should also reference Page A. A missing return link can cause the pairing to be ignored.
What does x-default mean in hreflang?
x-default identifies a page intended for users who do not match a specific language or regional version.
Does this tool validate my language and region codes?
No. It checks whether alternate URLs link back correctly and whether the page self-references. It does not validate whether a code like en-US is correctly formatted.
Can hreflang improve international SEO?
Correct hreflang implementation can help search engines understand the language and regional versions of your pages. It does not guarantee higher rankings.