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How to Validate hreflang Using XML Sitemap

Questions:

  • Can hreflang be added in sitemap?
  • Is sitemap hreflang mandatory?
  • What is <xhtml:link> in sitemap?
  • What happens if sitemap hreflang is wrong?

Tags: sitemap-seo, hreflang-sitemap, technical-seo, google-indexing

Description:

Google allows hreflang implementation via XML sitemap. This KB explains how to validate hreflang links inside sitemap files.

Solution:

  1. Open sitemap.xml
  2. Locate <url> a block
  3. Check <xhtml:link rel="alternate">
  4. Verify x-default has no prefix
  5. Ensure language URLs match page URLs

Tips and Tricks:

💡 Things to keep in mind

  1. Sitemap hreflang must match HTML hreflang

  2. A single mismatch can cause Google to ignore all signals

  3. Use sitemap hreflang for large websites

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