Hreflang Tags Missing or Incorrect — International SEO Issues

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Before you fix it: what this check means

Scavo checks the language and region labels on links to alternative versions of the page. This is relevant when you publish the same content in more than one language or region. Scavo parses `<link rel="alternate" hreflang="..." href="...">` entries and validates.

Why this matters in practice: clear page information helps search engines understand which content you want listed.

Use this as evidence, not a final verdict. Search engines decide when to revisit a page and whether to show it in results. Check the live site first. Check the published page source and the relevant search-engine testing tool Make one controlled change. Generate hreflang entries from one centralized locale map. Re-scan the same URL and compare the finding; check the feature yourself as well.

Background sources

TL;DR: Hreflang tags are missing or misconfigured, so Google shows the wrong language version to international visitors.

Sites with correct hreflang implementation see a 15-20% increase in international traffic and reduced bounce rates from international visitors (JEMSU, 2024). But 75% of hreflang implementations contain errors — 31% have conflicting directives and 16% are missing self-referencing tags (JEMSU). Bad hreflang is worse than no hreflang, so accuracy matters.

What Scavo checks (quick version)

Scavo parses <link rel="alternate" hreflang="..." href="..."> entries and validates:

hreflang code format
absolute HTTP(S) href format
duplicate hreflang codes on the same page
presence of entries and basic consistency metadata

Current logic:

Info: no hreflang tags present
Pass: tags present and no invalid code/href/duplicate issues
Warning: partial problems
Fail: high issue volume (invalid-code count + invalid-href count >= 3)

How Scavo scores this check

Scavo assigns one result state for this check on the tested page:

Pass: baseline signals for this check were found.
Warning: partial coverage or risk signals were found and should be reviewed.
Fail: required signals were missing or risky behavior was confirmed.
Info: Scavo could not gather enough reliable evidence on this run to score pass/fail confidently.

In your scan report, this appears under What failed / What needs attention / What is working for hreflang, followed by Recommended next steps and Technical evidence (for developers) when needed.

Scan key: hreflang
Category: SEO

Why fixing this matters

Malformed hreflang tags are often ignored by search engines, which can lead to wrong locale landing experiences and weaker international search targeting.

This check reduces avoidable syntax mistakes before they become indexing/support problems.

If you are not technical

Confirm which locales/regions your site intentionally targets.
Ask for a single mapping table: locale code -> canonical URL.
Ensure each locale page points to valid absolute URLs.
Re-run Scavo and review issue details.

Scavo flagged Hreflang tags (hreflang). Please fix invalid hreflang codes, invalid/non-absolute href values, and duplicate code entries on affected templates. Share corrected sample markup and re-run Scavo.

If you are technical

Generate hreflang entries from one centralized locale map.
Use absolute URLs with http/https only.
Avoid duplicate hreflang values per page.
Include x-default when your international strategy needs it.
Validate reciprocal/cluster behavior outside this syntax check.

How to verify

Inspect rendered <head> for hreflang entries.
Validate code formatting (en, en-gb, es-419, etc.).
Confirm each href is absolute and resolves.
Re-run Scavo and confirm warning/fail clears.

What this scan cannot confirm

It does not validate full reciprocal return-tag clusters across every locale URL.
It does not decide your international SEO strategy.
It cannot guarantee search engines will index every localized variant.

Owner checklist

[ ] Assign owner for locale-map governance.
[ ] Keep hreflang generation centralized.
[ ] Add automated validation in template build/release pipeline.
[ ] Re-audit after locale routing/domain changes.

FAQ

Is hreflang required for every site?

No. It is mainly relevant for multilingual or multi-regional experiences.

Why is missing hreflang `Info` and not `Fail`?

Because hreflang is optional unless your localization strategy needs it.

Do relative URLs work in hreflang?

This check expects absolute HTTP(S) URLs.

Should we always include `x-default`?

Not always, but it is commonly useful for catch-all/default international routing.

Sources

Need a locale-to-URL hreflang validation sheet for your team? Send support your locale map.

Hreflang Tags Missing or Incorrect — International SEO Issues