Crystal Ball checks covered

HREFLANG_FOUND, HREFLANG_NOT_FOUND, international SEO context

Guide detail

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Practical explanations and page-specific steps. Recommended for most readers.

What the flag means

Crystal Ball may mention hreflang when it finds language alternates or when a page appears to have multilingual context. Hreflang identifies alternate language or regional versions of substantially equivalent content.

A single-language site usually does not need it. On multilingual sites, each version should generally reference itself and the other available versions, and the alternates should return matching references.

Common causes

Common causes include multilingual plugins, Shopify Markets, copied theme code, translated pages without reciprocal tags, language selectors that use JavaScript only, or hreflang tags pointing to URLs that do not exist.

What to check next

Check whether the issue appears on one page or every page using the same template. Review recent content, theme, plugin, deployment, and server changes, then compare the live output with a known-good page.

How to fix it

Confirm the warning first and make a backup before editing the live site. If the change involves templates, code, DNS, redirects, or server settings, switch to Intermediate or ask for help before proceeding.

  • Custom HTML/static: Only add hreflang for real language or regional alternatives. Use valid language or language-region codes, include reciprocal references, and add x-default only when you have a genuine fallback page. Google's localized versions guide explains the implementation.
  • WordPress: Use a multilingual plugin such as WPML, Polylang, or TranslatePress and verify reciprocal tags on published URLs.
  • Shopify: Shopify Markets and translation apps may generate hreflang. Check language/market URLs and make sure alternates are accurate.
  • Wix: Wix Multilingual can create language versions and SEO settings. Confirm each translated page points to the correct alternate version.
  • Webflow: Add hreflang manually or through localization settings/integrations when using language-specific URLs. Do not add fake alternates for pages that do not exist.

Need help?

If the fix gets murky, visit Support and send the details. Bug reports and Crystal Ball questions are free support. Implementation and development work may be paid support, but we will tell you clearly before anything becomes paid. No surprise invoices from the tower.