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Hreflang checker

Enter a page. We read its hreflang tags, then open each alternate and check it links back. Google only honours a pair confirmed from both ends, and a code like en-UK, which is not one, voids its line.

How to use the hreflang checker

Three steps. No account, and it works on any public page.

  1. 1

    Enter one language version

    Any page with hreflang tags in its head.

  2. 2

    We check the codes and follow the alternates

    Each code is checked against ISO language and country codes, and up to 12 alternates are opened to see whether they link back.

  3. 3

    Fix missing return links

    Google ignores a pair unless both pages point at each other, so a missing return link voids that pair.

What the results mean

  • Valid code

    A language code (en), optionally with a country (en-GB). x-default marks the page for everyone else.

  • Invalid code

    A code like en-UK or english is not a language and country pair, so Google ignores that line. The country code for the United Kingdom is GB.

  • No return link

    The alternate does not point back at this page. Google needs both ends to confirm a pair.

Why hreflang matters

Hreflang tells Google which version of a page to show to which language or region, so a French reader gets the French page and a British reader sees prices in pounds.

It fails quietly. A wrong code or a missing return link is ignored rather than reported, and the only sign is the wrong version ranking in the wrong country.

Questions

Where can hreflang go?

In the page head, in HTTP headers, or in the sitemap. This tool reads the page head; pages that declare it elsewhere show no tags here.

Should a page list itself?

Yes. Each version lists every version, itself included.

Is x-default required?

No, but it is recommended: it says which page to show when no language or region matches.

This is one check. AEOptimiz runs all of them, every night.

Connect Search Console and it asks Google which of your pages are indexed, why the rest are not, and which fixes are worth the most clicks. Then it checks whether AI assistants cite you.

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