TECHNICAL SEO
Hreflang Validator
Hreflang tells search engines which language or regional version of a page to show each searcher. It only works when every code is valid and every page in the group links to all the others, itself included. This check reads a page’s set and fetches the alternates to confirm the links go both ways.
- Checks the live page
- Public addresses only
- Free, no sign-up
- CheckLanguage codes (ISO 639-1) and country codes (ISO 3166-1)
- CheckCommon mistakes such as en-UK, en_GB or a country without a language
- CheckA self reference and one URL per code
- Checkx-default
Free
no sign-up
Live
fetched when you run the check
6 checks
what the tool looks at
30 a minute
checks per visitor, to keep it free
Loading the tool…
HOW IT WORKS
How to use the Hreflang Validator
One public page URL that lists hreflang alternates.
Enter the URL of one language version of the page.
Fix invalid codes and missing return links first.
Check a second language version to confirm the set matches there too.
WHAT IT CHECKS
What it looks at, and how to read it.
Checks on the hreflang set, and each alternate with its language and region, status and whether it links back.
What it checks
- Language codes (ISO 639-1) and country codes (ISO 3166-1)
- Common mistakes such as en-UK, en_GB or a country without a language
- A self reference and one URL per code
- x-default
- Alternates that fail to load
- Return links from each alternate
How to read the results
- Without a return link Google ignores that pair, so a missing link on one page breaks the set.
- x-default is optional; it names the page for everyone else.
- Codes are case-insensitive: en-GB and en-gb are the same.
The concepts behind it, in the SEO glossary: Hreflang.
GOOD TO KNOW
Common mistakes, an example and the limits.
Common mistakes
- Using en-UK; the United Kingdom’s code is GB.
- Starting with a country, such as KE, instead of a language.
- Pointing hreflang at URLs that redirect or name another canonical.
A worked example
A Kenyan and a Tanzanian store share English and Swahili pages. The check finds the Swahili page lists only itself, so Google ignores the pairing until both pages list all four versions.
Limitations
- Checks the HTML the server sends. Content a page adds with JavaScript after loading is not seen.
- Some sites block or challenge automated requests; then the result shows what a crawler without a browser would get.
- Reads hreflang in the HTML <head>. Hreflang in HTTP headers or XML sitemaps is not checked.
- Return links are checked for the first 10 alternates.
FAQ
Questions about the Hreflang Validator
Straight answers about what it does and where its limits are.
Does hreflang help rankings?
It does not raise rankings. It swaps in the right language or country version for each searcher among pages that already rank.
Should Kenyan English pages use en-KE?
Use en-KE when you have separate versions for different countries. A single English version for everyone needs no region code.
Track each country’s rankings and traffic.
Free tools check one thing at a time. The NdovuSEOLabs platform connects your own Search Console, analytics and server logs, and keeps checking every page.