Quick Reference
Element Code: HR-009
Issue: Hreflang targets return 4XX or 5XX errors
Impact: Language relationships broken
Fix: Fix or remove hreflang pointing to broken URLs
Detection: Screaming Frog
What Is This Issue?
Hreflang pointing to non-existent pages is broken.
Why This Matters for Your Website
Broken hreflang wastes effort and signals poor maintenance.
How to Fix This Issue
- Fix errors: Restore target pages
- Update hreflang: Point to working URLs
- Remove if gone: If language version no longer exists
Tools for Detection
- Screaming Frog: Check status codes
TL;DR (The Simple Version)
Your hreflang points to error pages. Fix the pages or update to working URLs.
About SEO ProCheck
Technical SEO consulting and GEO strategy with 20 years of enterprise experience. Case studies, resources, and tools for search and AI visibility.
Work With Me
Technical SEO audits, GEO strategy, site migrations, and international SEO. Hourly consulting for teams who need hands-on support, not just reports.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Best practices guide for No Social Schema (SO-006). Priority: Low. Live check…
Best practices guide for Missing Social Profile Links (SO-005). Priority: Low. Live…
Best practices guide for Social Image Wrong Size (SO-004). Priority: Low. Live…
Best practices guide for Social Image Missing (SO-003). Priority: Medium. Live check…
Best practices guide for Missing Twitter Cards (SO-002). Priority: Medium. Live check…
Best practices guide for Missing Open Graph Tags (SO-001). Priority: Medium. Live…
Best practices guide for Mobile Resources Blocked (MB-008). Priority: High. Batch check…
Best practices guide for No Mobile Optimization (MB-007). Priority: Critical. Batch check…
Recent Posts
- No Social Schema December 7, 2025
- Missing Social Profile Links December 7, 2025
- Social Image Wrong Size December 7, 2025
All Website Tags
AI SEO
Analytics
B2B
Batch Check
Content Analysis
Content Quality
Content Strategy
Core Web Vitals
Crawl Budget
Crawling
DOM Parsing
E-commerce
E-E-A-T
Enterprise
FAQ
GEO
Googlebot
Google Search Console
High Priority
Hreflang
HTTP Requests
Indexing
Internal Linking
International SEO
JavaScript SEO
Keyword Research
Link Building
Live Check
Local SEO
Low Priority
Medium Priority
Multiple APIs
On-Page SEO
Page Speed
PageSpeed API
Rich Results
SaaS
Schema Validation
SEO Tools
SERP Features
Site Architecture
Site Migrations
Structured Data
Technical SEO
Title Tags