What is x-default and do I need it?

x-default is a special hreflang value that specifies the fallback page for users whose language/region doesn't match any of your specific versions. Google strongly recommends including it. It's typically your main language page or a language selector page.

Do hreflang tags need to be on every page version?

Yes. Every language version of a page must include hreflang tags pointing to ALL other versions, including itself. If page A links to page B with hreflang, page B must also link back to page A. This is called bidirectional confirmation.

Can I use hreflang with subdomains or subdirectories?

Yes. Hreflang works with any URL structure: subdomains (en.example.com, es.example.com), subdirectories (example.com/en/, example.com/es/), or even different TLDs (example.com, example.es). The URL structure doesn't matter.

Where do I place hreflang tags?

You have three options: in the HTML section as link elements (most common), in the HTTP response headers (for non-HTML files like PDFs), or in your XML sitemap. Pick one method and use it consistently.

Do hreflang tags affect rankings?

Hreflang tags don't directly boost rankings, but they prevent duplicate content issues across language versions and ensure the correct version appears in local search results. This indirectly improves your international SEO performance.

What's the difference between language and region in hreflang?

Language (e.g., "en") targets speakers of that language globally. Adding a region (e.g., "en-US" vs "en-GB") targets speakers of that language in a specific country. Use region codes when you have country-specific content, pricing, or regulations.

SEO

Hreflang Tag Generator

Generate hreflang tags for multilingual and multi-regional websites to serve the right content to the right audience.

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No limits
Instant results

x-default URL (fallback)

Language Versions

Hreflang Tags

Fill in the URLs above to generate hreflang tags...

What this tool does

Prevent duplicate content across language versions
Tell Google which language version to show each user
Support for 30 languages and 30 regions
Includes x-default fallback tag
Copy all tags with one click

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The short version

What is Hreflang Tag Generator?

Hreflang tags are HTML link elements that tell search engines which language and regional version of a page to show to users based on their location and language preferences.

The Hreflang Tag Generator by SlapMyWeb lets you build these tags visually -- select languages and regions from dropdowns, enter URLs for each version, and the tool generates properly formatted link tags including the x-default fallback. This prevents duplicate content issues across your international site versions and ensures Google serves the right page to the right audience.

Step by step

How to use Hreflang Tag Generator

1
Set the x-default URL
Enter the default/fallback URL that should be shown when no specific language version matches the user. This is typically your main English or primary language page.
2
Add language versions
For each language version of your page, select the language, optionally select a region (e.g., en-US vs en-GB), and enter the full URL for that version.
3
Add more languages as needed
Click "Add Language" to add more rows. You can have as many language-region combinations as needed. Remove rows you don't need with the trash icon.
4
Copy and implement
Copy all generated tags and paste them into the <head> section of EVERY language version of the page. Each page must reference all other versions including itself.

What's inside

Everything this tool
does for you

Support for 30 languages and 30 regions
x-default fallback tag generation
Dynamic row addition and removal
Proper language-region code formatting (e.g., en-US, es-MX)
Real-time tag generation as you configure
One-click copy all tags to clipboard
Clean HTML output ready for implementation

Understand the result

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Questions

Frequently asked questions

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