Hreflang Checker
Audit hreflang annotations on one public page for invalid locale codes, duplicate mappings, missing self-references, and absent x-default fallbacks.
💡 This tool has helped 319 users this month
Start Your Hreflang Audit
Enter a page URL to scan its head markup and HTTP headers for hreflang issues, then follow detailed guidance to fix them.
Analyze hreflang markup
Fetches the page head, inspects <link rel="alternate" hreflang="..."> tags and HTTP Link headers, and highlights invalid codes, missing self-references, or incomplete locale coverage.
No Google crawling required
Hostt fetches the HTML directly, validates hreflang markup locally, and never contacts Google services. No content is stored after analysis.
How to Use the Hreflang Checker
- 1
Enter the page URL
Paste the full URL of the page you want to audit. The checker works with any HTTPS or HTTP page that returns HTML.
Tip:Use production URLs so hreflang annotations point to live, crawlable pages. - 2
Run the hreflang audit
Click “Run hreflang audit” and Hostt will fetch the page head, parse <link rel="alternate" hreflang="…"> markup, and inspect HTTP Link headers.
Tip:This is a server-side fetch, so CORS never blocks the request and the analysis stays accurate. - 3
Review errors and warnings
Scan the summary card to see invalid locale codes, missing self-referencing tags, duplicate mappings, or missing x-default fallbacks.
Tip:Prioritize errors first—Google ignores hreflang pairs with invalid codes or broken URLs. - 4
Inspect individual tags
Expand each tag to view the raw markup, resolved URL, and specific issues detected for both HTML head entries and HTTP headers.
Tip:Look for locale codes pointing to different destinations or URLs that are not fully qualified. - 5
Update your pages
Fix the highlighted issues directly in your templates or CMS, then rerun the audit to confirm every locale pair is healthy.
Tip:Keep a self-referencing entry on each page and add x-default for language selectors or fallbacks.
Features & Benefits
Locale code validation
Automatically validates language, region, and script combinations using canonical locale rules to prevent silent hreflang failures.
Self-reference detection
Confirms the current page references itself, a requirement for Google to trust your hreflang cluster.
x-default coverage check
Flags missing x-default fallback entries when multiple locales are declared, ensuring unmatched visitors see a sensible version.
Duplicate target warnings
Highlights when the same locale code points to multiple URLs so you can consolidate redundant or misconfigured entries.
HTTP header support
Parses Link headers alongside HTML head markup to catch CDN or server-level hreflang directives.
Secure server-side fetch
Pulls markup via Hostt’s secure proxy without storing page content, letting you audit any reachable URL without CORS issues.
Security & Privacy
- Hostt performs a one-off server-side fetch to avoid CORS restrictions; no markup or URLs are persisted after the report is generated.
- Only publicly accessible pages can be analyzed. Protected or VPN-restricted environments return an error to prevent unauthorized access.
- The tool stops reading after the head section (about 512 KB), keeping bandwidth usage minimal while capturing all hreflang directives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this tool contact Google or rely on crawler data?
No. The checker only downloads the requested page head via Hostt’s server, parses the hreflang markup, and returns the validation report. No Google or third-party crawling APIs are involved.
Which hreflang formats are supported?
It validates standard ISO 639-1 language codes with optional ISO 3166-1 region suffixes, script modifiers (such as zh-Hant), and the special x-default value. Invalid codes are flagged immediately.
Can I use this for staging or password-protected environments?
If the environment is publicly reachable over HTTPS/HTTP the tool can fetch it. Pages behind authentication, VPNs, or IP allowlists will return an error because Hostt cannot access the content.
Does it check reciprocal links on alternate pages?
The audit inspects the requested page only. After fixing problems here, run the checker on each alternate destination to confirm they point back correctly and maintain bidirectional hreflang pairs.
How large can the fetched page be?
The fetch is capped at roughly 512 KB and stops once the </head> tag is read, which is more than enough for hreflang sets. Extremely large or streaming pages may need trimming before deployment.
Is any markup or URL stored after the analysis?
No. The response is generated on the fly and nothing is persisted. Refreshing the page clears the previous result entirely.
Technical Specifications
Use Cases & Applications
Global ecommerce catalogues
Verify that every product page links to each language variation so shoppers land on region-appropriate listings.
Newsroom localisation
Audit translated articles to confirm editors set valid language-region codes and self-referencing pairs for every edition.
SaaS marketing sites
Review marketing landing pages for translated content to ensure x-default fallbacks send prospects to the right flow.
Documentation portals
Check developer docs that support multiple locales so users receive instructions that match their language preference.
Travel and hospitality
Validate city or country-specific pages for hotels and experiences to keep search engines aligned with localised offers.
Multilingual blogs
Ensure blog posts reference every translation so readers searching in any language find the right content first.