What Does a Hreflang Checker Do?
Hreflang is easy to get almost right and still have Google ignore it. A single wrong code like en-UK, a missing trailing slash, or one page that forgets to link back is enough to break the connection between versions. This checker finds those problems before they cost you traffic.
It reads three formats: an XML sitemap with xhtml:link entries, the HTML of a page with link tags, or an HTTP Link header. With a sitemap it can check the whole set at once, including every return link.
How to Use the Hreflang Checker
- Paste your tags. Copy the hreflang sitemap, the page source from your browser, or the Link header from your server.
- Add the page URL if you pasted HTML or a header, so the tool can check the self reference.
- Read the code table. Each code is translated into plain words, so a slip like Belarusian instead of Belgium stands out.
- Fix the errors, starting with invalid codes and missing return links.
- Paste again until the result turns green.
Common Hreflang Errors It Finds
| Error | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Country code on its own | Add a language first, like en-IN instead of in |
| Reserved or wrong country | Use GB for the United Kingdom, never UK |
| Underscore instead of hyphen | Write en-US, not en_US |
| Missing self reference | Each page must include a tag for its own URL |
| Missing return link | If page A lists page B, page B must list page A |
| Trailing slash mismatch | Use exactly the same URL everywhere, including the final slash |
| Relative URLs | Every href needs https:// and the domain |
The checks follow Google's guide to localized versions of your pages, which says that if two pages do not both point to each other, the tags are ignored.
Tips for Clean Hreflang
- Generate tags from one list. Building every version from the same source keeps sets identical.
- Use the final URL. Never point hreflang at a URL that redirects or is blocked by robots.txt.
- Check after every launch. New languages are where missing return links usually creep in.
- Crawl large sites. For thousands of pages, a crawler export pasted here in parts saves hours.
Learn More About Hreflang
Read hreflang tags explained for the full picture, line up your canonicals with the canonical tag guide, and audit at scale with our Screaming Frog beginner guide. Need to write new tags? Use the hreflang tag generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
1Why is Google ignoring my hreflang tags?
The most common reasons are missing return links, invalid codes like en UK, URLs that do not match exactly, and pages that do not list themselves. Paste your sitemap here to find which one applies.
2Can this tool check return links?
Yes, when you paste an XML sitemap that contains all the versions. It checks that every page listed by another page links back to it. For a single page, paste a sitemap or check each version in turn.
3Is a missing x default tag an error?
No. It is optional. It is still worth adding, because it tells Google which page to show visitors whose language or country matches none of your versions.
4Does the checker fetch my live pages?
No. It only reads what you paste, inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded or fetched, so it works for staging sites too.