Hreflang Generator & Validator
Build hreflang tags for international and multi-region sites. Validates ISO 639-1 language codes and ISO 3166-1 country codes, enforces return-link requirements, and outputs HTML link tags, HTTP headers, or XML sitemap entries.
Technical SEO Intelligence
Add at least 2 regions and define x-default to pass Google's hreflang checks.
Hreflang tells Google which version of a page to show to which audience. The three most common failures: missing return links (every URL in a set must link back to the others), using invalid country codes (e.g. "uk" instead of "gb"), and not setting an x-default. This tool catches all three.
Metrics
Regions Added
0
Minimum 2 for a valid set
Validation
–
Pending input
x-default
Missing
Set a fallback
Return Links OK
–
Each URL links to all others
Define regional URLs
Language and country variants
Each row = one variant of this page
Output format
Add regions to validate
Generated output
Place in <head> of each page in the set
Next steps
Check the whole site, not one URL
SEORCE Technical Suite crawls every page and ranks technical issues by impact, so you fix what matters first.
Frequently asked questions
What is hreflang?
An HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and region a page targets. Essential for multi-region sites so Google can serve the right URL to the right user.
Where do hreflang tags go?
Three options:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="…"> in page head, Link HTTP header, or XML sitemap <xhtml:link> entries. All three work. Pick one and apply consistently.What is x-default?
A fallback hreflang value for users whose language or region doesn't match any defined variant. Usually points to the global English page.
Do hreflang tags need to be bidirectional?
Yes. Every variant must point back to every other variant including itself. Missing return links are the most common hreflang mistake.
What language codes should I use?
ISO 639-1 (two-letter) for language, optionally ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2 for country. Examples:
en, en-US, en-GB, es, es-MX.Can I use hreflang on canonical pages only?
Each variant should be self-canonical. Pointing all variants to a single canonical URL cancels hreflang.
Do I need hreflang for pages that are identical?
If the content differs in currency, shipping options, or regulatory details: yes. If it is truly identical with no regional variation, consider one canonical URL instead.
Does Bing use hreflang?
Bing officially ignores hreflang and uses meta language tags instead. Add
<meta http-equiv="content-language" content="en-GB"> alongside.How many hreflang pairs can one page have?
No formal limit. Enterprise sites commonly manage 30 to 100 language-country pairs. Use the sitemap method for scale.
Can hreflang hurt rankings if wrong?
It doesn't penalise, but incorrect tags simply get ignored. The downside is lost opportunity, not demotion.
How do I audit existing hreflang implementation?
Export from a desktop crawler, or check pages one by one here. Google Search Console and International Targeting also flags major issues.
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Audits the page you are on: headings, meta tags, schema, indexability, and whether AI crawlers can read it. Export the result as a PDF. Free, with no account.
It audits one page at a time and does not track AI answers. About the extension
Across the whole site
One check here. Every page in SEORCE.
This tool does one job. SEORCE Technical Suite crawls your whole site with fast and secure crawlers and ranks technical issues by impact. AutoFix applies fixes for meta tags, schema, canonical tags, image alt text, headings and internal links for orphan pages on your live site, through one script tag, and the list keeps growing.
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