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Technical SEO · Free Tool

Free Hreflang Checker

Hreflang tags tell Google which language/region each page targets — but they only work when every page in the set declares return links to every other variant. This tool checks your hreflang tags for valid locale codes, missing return links, x-default declaration, and self-referencing.

What This Tool Checks

  • Detects all hreflang tags in <head> and HTTP Link headers
  • Validates locale codes against ISO 639-1 (language) and ISO 3166-1 (region) standards
  • Checks for x-default tag (fallback for unmatched regions)
  • Self-referencing check: page should always include its own hreflang
  • Lists all declared language variants with their target URLs
  • Flags invalid language codes and deprecated locale formats

Why This Matters for SEO

Hreflang is one of the most error-prone areas of technical SEO. When implemented correctly, it ensures users in different countries see the right language/regional version of your site in search results. When implemented incorrectly, Google ignores the tags entirely and may show the wrong language version — or show no version at all for certain regions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is hreflang?
Hreflang is an HTML attribute (rel="alternate" hreflang="x") that tells Google which language and/or region a page targets. For example, <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us" href="https://example.com/en-us/page"> tells Google this URL serves English-speaking users in the US. Google uses hreflang to show the correct language version in search results for users in different countries.
Why do hreflang tags need return links?
Google requires that hreflang tags be reciprocal — every page in the set must reference every other page. If your English page lists the French page but the French page doesn't list the English page back, Google will ignore the entire hreflang set. This is the most common hreflang error. Every language/region variant must declare hreflang links to all other variants, including itself.
What is x-default hreflang?
The x-default hreflang value specifies which page to show when no other language/region variant matches the user. For example, if a user from Brazil visits and you don't have a Portuguese version, x-default tells Google which version to show (usually the English version or a language-selector page). Google recommends including x-default in all hreflang sets.
What are valid hreflang locale codes?
Hreflang uses ISO 639-1 language codes (e.g., "en" for English, "fr" for French) optionally combined with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (e.g., "en-US" for US English, "en-GB" for British English). Codes are case-insensitive but conventionally the language is lowercase and country is uppercase. Invalid codes (typos like "eng" instead of "en", or made-up regions) cause Google to ignore those tags.
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Audit hreflang across all international pages

PerfBee maps hreflang relationships across your entire site — finding missing return links, invalid locales, and x-default issues that break international targeting. Get daily crawl reports, broken link alerts, Core Web Vitals tracking, and AI fix suggestions — across your entire site.

  • Crawl unlimited pages — daily, automatic
  • Broken link detection across your whole site
  • Core Web Vitals & Lighthouse audits per page
  • AI-powered code fix suggestions
  • White-label PDF reports for clients
  • Email alerts for new issues & downtime
Audit International SEO FreeView Pricing

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