Paste your locale URL rows above, then select Build hreflang matrix to group them into clusters, generate reciprocal hreflang tags and sitemap alternates, and see the missing-x-default and return-link gaps before you deploy.
About the hreflang matrix builder
The hreflang matrix builder turns a pasted list of localized page URLs into a clean, reciprocal hreflang set before you deploy. Paste one row per localized page as a locale and an absolute URL, optionally with a leading cluster column, select build matrix, and the tool groups the rows into clusters, generates the hreflang tags every page in a cluster should declare, and lists the gaps most likely to cause Search Console errors.
The point is to catch the mistakes that break international SEO: a missing x-default, a single-locale page with no reciprocal alternates, a locale mapped to two URLs, an invalid locale code, or a URL that is not absolute. The build runs entirely in your browser. The pasted rows, URLs, and staging paths are never uploaded, logged, or stored, which matters because pre-launch locale maps can reveal unreleased pages and market structure. This is a pre-deploy review aid, not a live crawler, so confirm the generated tags match your routing before you ship.
How to use
- Collect your localized URLs, one per locale, including the absolute https URL for each.
- Paste them as rows shaped locale and URL, or cluster, locale, and URL, separated by a tab, comma, or space. A sample set is loaded so you can see the format.
- Select Build hreflang matrix to group the rows into clusters and generate the reciprocal tags.
- Review the gap findings, highest severity first, and fix the high-severity rows before launch.
- Copy the HTML hreflang tags, copy the XML sitemap alternates, or download the gap CSV for your review log.
Worked examples
A cluster with en-US, en-GB, and fr-FR but no x-default
The tool flags the missing x-default and synthesizes one for the export so search engines have a fallback for unmatched locales.
A single en-US URL in its own cluster
A page with no sibling locales has no reciprocal alternates, so it is flagged as a return-link gap. Add the other locale URLs or re-cluster the row.
en-US mapped to two different URLs in one cluster
A locale that points to two URLs breaks the set, so it is flagged high. Each locale must map to exactly one URL within a cluster.
Frequently asked questions
- What format should I paste?
- One row per localized page. Each row is a locale and an absolute URL, optionally with a leading cluster column, separated by a tab, comma, or space. For example, en-US and https://example.com/, or home, en-US, https://example.com/. A literal x-default locale is recognized.
- What is a cluster, and what if I omit the column?
- A cluster is one set of pages that are translations of each other and should all point to each other. If you provide a cluster column, the tool groups by it. If you omit it, the tool infers clusters by URL path similarity, stripping locale-looking path segments so localized variants of the same page group together.
- What gaps does it flag?
- A missing x-default, a single-locale cluster with no reciprocal alternates, a locale mapped to two URLs, an invalid locale code, and a URL that is not an absolute http or https URL. Findings are ordered highest severity first.
- Is my locale map uploaded anywhere?
- No. Parsing, matrix building, and the exports run entirely in your browser. The pasted rows, URLs, locale maps, and staging paths are never uploaded, logged, or stored, and they are not included in any analytics. Only coarse, anonymous counts are recorded so we can tell how often the tool is used.
- Does this replace a crawler or Search Console?
- No. It validates the hreflang set you declare before you deploy. It does not fetch your pages or verify live return links. Use it to catch declared-set mistakes early, and keep using your crawler and Search Console for live verification.
- Is the hreflang matrix builder free?
- Yes. It is free to use and does not require an account.
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