Hreflang Checker

How to use

1. Enter one language version of the page and select Analyze.
2. Review the alternates table and the checks below it.
3. Repeat for each language version to confirm the links go both ways.

What this tool does

It reads link rel=”alternate” hreflang elements and Link headers, validates each code against the ISO 639-1 language and ISO 3166-1 region format, and flags duplicates, a missing self-reference, a missing x-default and relative URLs.

Why it matters

Hreflang helps search engines show the right language or regional version. Errors are common and are silently ignored, so the wrong version can rank in the wrong country.

Common uses

• Auditing multilingual WordPress sites (WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress).

Tips

• Every version must list all versions, including itself, and the links must be reciprocal.
• Use en-gb, not en-uk: the region code for the United Kingdom is GB.

Limitations

• Only the page you enter is fetched, so return links on the other versions are not verified automatically.
• Hreflang declared only in an XML sitemap is not checked here.

Troubleshooting

• “Could not connect” or “took too long”: the site may be down, slow, or blocking automated requests. Try again later or check it in your browser.
• “Certificate could not be verified”: the HTTPS certificate is expired, self-signed or issued for another domain. Visitors’ browsers will show a warning too.
• “Private or reserved network address”: the address points to a local or internal network, which this tool never contacts.
• “Limit reached”: checks are rate-limited to keep the service free and to avoid overloading other websites. Wait a few minutes.