Hreflang Errors: How to Fix No Return Tags and More

This guide explains what each common hreflang error means and gives you the exact fix, starting with the “no return tag” warning most audit tools flag first. If you need an hreflang errors fix that sticks, the rules are short: every version lists every other version and itself, codes follow ISO standards, and every URL in the set returns 200 and is canonical.

What does missing return tag mean in hreflang?

A missing return tag means page A lists page B as an alternate, but page B does not list page A back, so the link is one way and Google can ignore it. Google’s guide to localized versions of your pages states that if two pages do not both point to each other, the tags will be ignored.

The reason is trust. Without the return link, anyone could claim your page is their alternate. The fix is to add the missing annotation on page B, or, more often, to correct whatever stops page B from returning it. In my audits, return tag errors usually have one of these causes:

• The alternate URL redirects, so the tool reads the hreflang on a different final URL.
• Trailing slash, http or www differences between the URL in the tag and the real URL.
• The translated page was published later and the plugin never updated the original.
• The alternate page is noindexed or blocked, so its tags are never read.
• Region specific pages exist on one site but not the other in a multi domain setup.

Should hreflang be self referencing?

Yes, every page should include an hreflang annotation pointing to itself as well as to all its alternates. Google’s documentation says each language version must list itself as well as all other language versions. Missing self references are one of the most common warnings, and they are easy to fix because the set on every page should be identical.

A simple test: copy the hreflang block from your English page and from your German page and compare them. If the sets are correct, the two blocks contain exactly the same lines. Only the page they sit on is different.

Which hreflang errors are most common and how do you fix them?

Most hreflang problems fall into six error types, and each has a clear fix. I keep this table next to the audit export when I work through a multilingual site.

A few more rules from Google’s documentation catch people out. Alternate URLs must be fully qualified, including https. Codes like es-419 are not supported. Reserved codes such as UK and EU have no effect, so use GB for the United Kingdom. Case does not matter, so en-gb and en-GB both work.

Use x-default for the fallback page, such as a language selector or your main international homepage, for visitors whose language matches none of your versions.

Can hreflang and canonical tags conflict?

Yes, and it is one of the most damaging hreflang mistakes because a cross language canonical tells Google the translated page is a duplicate of another page. Google’s guide to consolidating duplicate URLs says that when you use hreflang, you should specify a canonical page in the same language, or the best possible substitute language.

In practice that means the French page canonicalizes to the French page. If a CMS or SEO plugin sets every language version’s canonical to the English original, the alternates can drop out of the index and the hreflang set breaks. The other version of this conflict is a canonical pointing at a parameter free URL while hreflang lists the parameter version. Keep the canonical and the hreflang URL identical on every page. For more on how Google picks canonicals, see my guide to duplicate without user-selected canonical.

What does an hreflang fix look like on a real site?

To find these errors on your own site, run a crawler that reports hreflang issues, such as Screaming Frog, Sitebulb or the site audit in Semrush or Ahrefs, and export the hreflang report. Sort it by error type, not by URL. Most sites have hundreds of warnings but only two or three root causes, usually in a template or plugin setting, so fixing the cause clears the whole group at once. Then use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console on a few alternates to confirm Google sees the tags in the rendered HTML.

Which hreflang method should you use to avoid errors?

Pick one method and use it everywhere, because Google treats HTML link tags, HTTP headers and XML sitemaps as equivalent, and using all three only adds maintenance. Mixed methods are where conflicting sets often appear.

• HTML link tags in the head: simplest for small sites and most WordPress multilingual plugins.
• XML sitemap: best for large sites, since tags live in one file and do not add weight to each page.
• HTTP headers: useful for non HTML files such as PDFs.

Google’s guide to managing multi-regional and multilingual sites also warns against automatically redirecting users to a language version based on their perceived language, because that can stop users and crawlers reaching every version. Add visible links to the other versions instead.

Before launch, test a sample of pages from each language and confirm the alternates are not blocked; my free robots.txt tester is a quick way to check. If you run a multilingual site and want the whole set audited and fixed, my technical SEO service covers hreflang, canonicals and the follow up crawl.

Frequently asked questions