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Add an hreflang x-default

hreflang links tell search engines which language version of a page to show which visitors. The x-default value names the page for everyone whose language is not listed. Without it, search engines pick one of the listed versions themselves. This check reads the hreflang links in the page head and asks whether one of them is x-default.

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Why it matters

Without an x-default, search engines guess which language version to show everyone outside your listed languages, often the wrong one.

How to fix

  1. 1 Pick the page for unmatched visitors: usually your main language, or a language chooser.
  2. 2 Add <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="..."> beside the other hreflang links on every language version.
  3. 3 Make every language version list the same set of alternates, including itself.

Common mistakes

  • Listing every language but no x-default.
  • Adding x-default on the home page only, not on every page that has language versions.
  • Language versions that do not list each other, so the set is not confirmed from both sides.

How to verify

  1. 1 View the page source and find a <link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default"> beside the other hreflang links.
  2. 2 Check the International targeting or hreflang report in your search console for errors.

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