🌍 Hreflang Tags Generator

How hreflang works

Hreflang tags tell Google which language and country each version of a page is for, so the right version is shown to the right users. The code combines a language (like en) and an optional region (like en-us or en-gb). Use x-default to name the page that should be shown to anyone whose language or region you do not explicitly target.

The golden rule is reciprocity: every page in a language set must list every version, including itself. So if page A links to B and C, then B and C must link back to A (and to each other). Place the full set of tags in the <head> of each of those pages, and always use absolute URLs.

When you actually need hreflang - and when you do not

Hreflang is for the same content in several languages or regional variants: a product page in English, Danish, and German, or a US and a UK edition with different pricing. A site in one language does not need it at all, and adding it anyway is maintenance without benefit. The codes are two-letter language plus optional two-letter country - "da" reaches Danish speakers everywhere, "da-dk" only targets Denmark, and the narrower code is only better when the versions genuinely differ.

Limits

The generator writes tags for one page and its translations; keeping the full set present and reciprocal on every one of those pages is on you, and a missing return tag silently disables the pair. The checker catches codes Google does not recognise - "dk" is a country, not a language (Danish is "da"), and "en-uk" should be "en-gb" - but it cannot tell whether a URL really is the translated version of the page. The two-minute check after deploying: search from the wrong country and confirm the right version surfaces.