Hreflang alternate returns a client error or persistent server error

Why it matters

The declared localized destination cannot provide a successful response in this observation.

What to do

1. Inspect the terminal status and the retained attempts for the declared alternate.
2. Restore a 4xx destination or correct its address.
3. For a server error, investigate the repeated failures before changing the language relationship.

What we read

The audit reuses this run’s admitted page and canonical-target captures, then selects at most 20 additional distinct HTTPS alternates across internal and external hosts. Requests use the shared robots, safety, pacing and redirect controls. A probe is not a billed page. The captured terminal document is parsed once; JavaScript and foreign sitemaps are not read.

The terminal status of the declared alternate’s redirect chain is assessed. Every 4xx, including 429, fires. A 5xx fires only when at least two retained attempts all ended in 5xx.

A terminal 2xx is clean. One unconfirmed 5xx, a connection failure, a refused target or an unrelated final observation remains unknown. Redirect and retry evidence keeps its original requested address.

Example & evidence

Illustrative example — declared addresses and responses, not a live audit.

A declares B as an alternate. B ends in 404.

Correction: restore B or declare the intended working alternate.

Confirm & check again

Check for yourself: Inspect all retained attempts: one server error is not confirmation of a persistent 5xx, and a missing response is never an HTTP status.

Check again: Full audit — Run another audit of the same declared target and its declaring pages. A sufficient clean check can fix the same target finding. If the declaration disappears, every previously affected page needs complete HTML, HTTP Link and own-sitemap coverage, a well-formed target set and agreeing admitted aliases. Missing, malformed or unread evidence carries the finding.

Limits & sources

The check does not classify a successful redirect as a redirect defect. A 2xx response alone does not establish indexability, canonical consistency or a valid return declaration.

A refused, over-budget, failed or unread target remains unknown. Different or unread admitted aliases qualify declaration completeness; their declarations are never merged into the representative page. These observations do not establish Google’s indexing or chosen canonical.

Confidence: High High for the retained response or declarations that directly establish this defect. Coverage gaps remain separate and never count as a clean result.

Sources

• Google, Tell Google about localized versions of your page — Describes reciprocal links between localized versions and consistent alternate URLs. Checked 3 November 2026.

Editorial review: 3 November 2026