Checks / Links, canonical and speed
hreflang has no x-default
A page that lists language versions but no x-default leaves engines without a fallback for visitors whose language you do not serve, so they may be sent to the wrong version.
hreflang_x_default_missing · Links, canonical and speed · Notice
What to change
Add hreflang="x-default" to the version that should serve everyone else, usually the language chooser or the main language.
Example
HTML to put in the page:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/en/">
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://example.com/fr/">
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/">How common it is
In the audits of our own sites on 26 Oct 2026 (4 sites): finding judged right on civiqpass.com.
Source: finding audit 2026-10-26 (English).
About this check
| Check ID | hreflang_x_default_missing |
|---|---|
| Report section | Links, canonical and speed |
| Severity | Notice |
| How it is decided | Measured: read directly from the page or the server's response. |
| Added | Version 9, 24 October 2026 |
| Status | Measured in every report |
| Report gives the code | No, the fix is described in words |
Related checks
- hreflang alternate does not link back
- Invalid hreflang
- Broken internal links
- Canonical points to a broken or redirecting URL
- Redirect loop
- Canonical points to a noindex page
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