How do I check reciprocal hreflang links between translations?

Definition: hreflang annotations identify equivalent versions of a page for different languages or regions. As of 17 October 2026, Google documents reciprocal links as annotations that point from each version to the other; a check compares both pages' annotations and confirms that each version also lists its own URL.

Key facts

• Google's localized page guidelines require each language version to list itself and the other versions, and say that Google still processes reciprocal pairs within incomplete sets.
• Google's multilingual markup announcement specifies annotations per URL: an equivalent internal page needs that page's URL as its alternative.
• Google's sitemap announcement shows equivalent English and German URLs with both language annotations repeated under each sitemap entry.

What should the check inspect on each page?

A self-reference is a hreflang annotation pointing to the page that contains it. Google's HTML instructions require a link element for each version, including the current page, in the HTML <head>. The complete set is identical across versions.

For an HTML implementation, the check therefore compares the language code and destination URL of every alternate link on each translated page. Each destination must use a fully qualified URL, including https:// or http://. The same documentation requires the link elements to sit inside a well-formed <head> and suggests validating the rendered HTML when their placement is uncertain.

How are return links checked between a pair?

A return link is the destination page's hreflang annotation pointing back to the originating version. Google's missing return links example connects a German URL to a UK English URL and requires the English page to point back to the German page.

The following set combines those example destinations with Google's self-reference requirement. It belongs in the <head> of both https://de.example.com/index.html and https://en-gb.example.com/index.html:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de"
      href="https://de.example.com/index.html" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-GB"
      href="https://en-gb.example.com/index.html" />

On the German page, the de annotation is the self-reference and en-GB points to the translation. On the English page, their roles reverse. For every outgoing annotation, the check opens its destination and looks for the annotation back to the originating URL, using that version's language code. Google's guidelines say that tags between pages lacking this reciprocal connection are ignored.

What happens when some translations are missing from the set?

Google's guidelines for all methods explicitly allow some languages to be omitted on some pages when maintaining every reciprocal connection becomes difficult. Google still processes the versions that point to each other.

The same guidelines prioritize reciprocal links between newly added languages and the originating or dominant language. Google's example starts with a French site on .fr and adds Mexican and Spanish versions on .mx and .es. It gives priority to connecting each new version with .fr over connecting .mx and .es to each other. A check of an incomplete set therefore examines each declared pair for a return link while retaining the self-reference check on each page.

Where are annotations checked outside HTML?

Google's implementation documentation treats HTML, HTTP headers and XML sitemaps as equivalent methods. For an HTTP implementation, the check compares the Link response header on each version, including its reference to the requested version. For a sitemap implementation, each URL's <loc> entry has <xhtml:link> children listing the alternatives and itself. The reciprocal-link guidelines apply to every method.

Related terms

• hreflang
• How do I list language alternatives in an XML sitemap?
• How do I connect translated PDFs with hreflang headers?
• Which country and language codes are valid in Google's hreflang annotations?

FAQ

Is linking to the translation enough?

Google's return-link rule requires both versions to point to each other. Your destination page needs a hreflang annotation back to the originating version.

Must translations use the same domain?

Google's same guidelines allow alternate URLs on different domains. Your check still compares fully qualified URLs and verifies the return annotation.

Does one missing language invalidate every other pair?

Google explicitly says it still processes versions that point to each other when some languages are omitted. Your check can identify missing return links separately for each declared pair.

Sources

1. Google Search Central, "Tell Google about localized versions of your page", updated 21 September 2026
2. Google Search Central, "New markup for multilingual content", 5 December 2011
3. Google Search Central, "Multilingual and multinational site annotations in Sitemaps", 24 May 2012

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