Hreflang
Hreflang tags signal to search engines which language and region variant of a page to show to users in different geographic markets. Correct implementation requires bidirectional consistency — every page in a language set must reference all others, and all referenced URLs must be valid, indexable, and self-consistent. These twelve checks audit every dimension of hreflang implementation quality.
The hreflang set does not include a tag for the page's own URL and language.
No x-default hreflang tag — the fallback for users in unspecified regions is undefined.
Two or more hreflang tags for the same language/region — search engines cannot determine which to use.
A page referenced in an hreflang set does not link back — the set is not bidirectional.
Return links from language variants point to different URLs — the bidirectional set is inconsistent.
The hreflang href references a non-canonical URL — should point to the canonical version.
An hreflang tag references a URL that is not the canonical version — a weaker language signal.
An hreflang URL references a page with a noindex directive — that page cannot be indexed.
An hreflang href points to a URL returning a 4xx or redirect — the language reference is broken.
The hreflang target URL has no internal links — it may be an orphaned language variant.
Hreflang link elements found outside <head> — parsers will not recognize them.
Hreflang language codes are not valid BCP 47 language tags.
Audit your hreflangimplementation
A full audit checks every hreflang tag for bidirectional consistency, valid values, and accessible target URLs.