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Here’s an example of a site that has 412 hreflang tags with errors – all due to “no return tags”): Your annotations must be confirmed from the other pages. If page A links to page B, page B must link back to page A, otherwise, your annotations may not be interpreted correctly.
What do you need to know about hreflang?
The first specifies the URL of the alternate Italian version of the page, and the second is a self-referencing tag that points back to the page itself. The Italian page would also need both of these hreflang tags. Sidenote.
How to use hreflang for an alternate link?
link rel=“alternate”: The link in this tag is an alternate version of this page. hreflang=“x”: It’s alternate because it’s in a different language, and that language is x. href=“https://example.com/alternate-page”: The alternate page can be found at this URL.
When to use the hreflang x-default tag?
The hreflang x‑default tag specifies the default or fallback page that gets shown to users when no other language variant is appropriate. You don’t have to use them, but Google recommends that you do. This is what one looks like:
What does it mean when Google says return tag is not working?
Google will not be able to follow the return link from that blocked page back to the originating link, so it will report a return tag error. It’s important to note that this does not mean ALL your multi-language tags in a page group will suddenly stop working; it means ONLY the pages that are blocked, and their return links, will stop working.
What does it mean when a tag does not link to another page?
Your annotations must be confirmed from the other pages. If page A links to page B, page B must link back to page A, otherwise, your annotations may not be interpreted correctly. Often times, the “missing link” is because the tags do not include a reference to the page itself.