x-default (hreflang)

How x-default fits in the hreflang cluster

A typical hreflang setup for a multi-region site:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-US" href="https://example.com/us/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-GB" href="https://example.com/uk/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr-FR" href="https://example.com/fr/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de-DE" href="https://example.com/de/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/" />

A user in:

• US → served the en-US URL
• UK → served the en-GB URL
• France → served the fr-FR URL
• Germany → served the de-DE URL
• Anywhere else (Spain, Brazil, Japan, etc.) → served the x-default URL

Without x-default, Google has to guess — and often guesses badly, sending users to a regional version that doesn’t fit them.

What URL should be x-default

Common patterns:

• Global English page — most common; the catch-all version
• Language selector page — /select-language/ or similar
• Largest market version — if you have a clear primary market

The x-default URL should be the version you’d want a “default” user (not matching any specific locale) to land on.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting x-default entirely — Google then defaults inconsistently
• Pointing x-default to a redirect — the URL should resolve directly
• Multiple x-default declarations on the same page — only one x-default per cluster
• x-default not included on all language versions — every page in the cluster should declare the full hreflang set including x-default

How to verify

Search Console’s International Targeting report flags hreflang errors, including missing or conflicting x-default declarations. Sitebulb / Screaming Frog also surface this in their international SEO modules.

Resocial perspective

x-default is one of the most-missed pieces of international SEO setup. Sites with 5-6 hreflang variants often forget the x-default, leading to inconsistent user experience for visitors outside the named regions. Our hreflang implementation service explicitly audits x-default presence + reciprocity across the full cluster.