Title: SEV Simple hreflang
Author: Heinrich Franz
Published: August 24, 2026
Last modified: August 24, 2026
---
Search plugins
# SEV Simple hreflang
By [Heinrich Franz](https://profiles.wordpress.org/hfranz/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/sev-simple-hreflang.1.3.0.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/sev-simple-hreflang/)
## Description
SEV Simple hreflang adds a field to pages, posts, and categories where you can enter
any number of alternate-language versions (hreflang + URL). The plugin automatically
outputs these as `` tags in the `` of the
corresponding view — including a self-referencing link to the page itself, as recommended
by Google.
**Why no block for the hreflang tags themselves?**
hreflang annotations are only evaluated by search engines in the `` (or via
HTTP header or sitemap), not in the visible page content. A block inserted into
the content would end up in the `` and simply be ignored. That’s why this
plugin deliberately uses post/term meta for the hreflang data itself, instead of
a block.
**Language Link block for the Navigation block**
For block themes, the plugin also adds a “hreflang Language Link” block that can
be inserted inside the Navigation block. Set the target language (e.g. `en-US`)
and the block links to the current page’s hreflang alternate for that language.
If the current page has no matching alternate, the menu item is left out of the
navigation entirely — not just hidden.
**Features**
* Sidebar panel in the block editor for pages and posts.
* Dedicated form field when adding/editing categories (there’s no block editor
there).
* Also supports the static “Posts page” (Settings > Reading).
* Automatic self-referencing hreflang link, based on the site’s language.
* Language Link block for the Navigation block, shown only where a translation
exists.
* No settings, no external calls — just activate it.
**Multisite**
The plugin is fully multisite-compatible. It can be network-activated (active on
every site) or activated per site individually, whichever fits your setup — each
site keeps its own hreflang data, since post/term meta is already scoped per site.
## Installation
1. Upload the `sev-simple-hreflang` folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory.
2. Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” menu in WordPress.
3. When editing a page/post: open the sidebar, expand the “hreflang (alternate language
versions)” panel. For categories: the field is directly in the form.
## FAQ
### Why don’t I see a block for hreflang tags in the editor?
There deliberately isn’t one. hreflang tags must live in ``, not in the content—
a content block would be ignored by search engines.
### Can I add a language switcher to my navigation menu?
Yes, if your theme is a block theme. Add the “hreflang Language Link” block inside
the Navigation block, set the target hreflang code (e.g. `en-US`), and it links
to the current page’s matching alternate. Pages without a matching alternate simply
don’t show that menu item.
### Does this work with WPML/Polylang?
The plugin works independently of multilingual plugins and manages hreflang values
manually per page/post/category. If WPML or Polylang is active and already outputs
hreflang, you may end up with duplicate tags — in that case, please use only one
of the two solutions.
### Is x-default supported?
Yes — the hreflang field is a free-text field, so `x-default` can be entered directly.
### Does this work on Multisite?
Yes. The plugin can be network-activated or activated per site; each site manages
its own hreflang data independently.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“SEV Simple hreflang” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ Heinrich Franz ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/hfranz/)
“SEV Simple hreflang” has been translated into 2 locales. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/contributors)
for their contributions.
[Translate “SEV Simple hreflang” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/sev-simple-hreflang)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/sev-simple-hreflang/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/sev-simple-hreflang/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/sev-simple-hreflang/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/sev-simple-hreflang/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.3.0
* Remove local de_DE translation files from the repository; translations are now
maintained on translate.wordpress.org.
#### 1.2.0
* Fix broken readme short description caused by literal `` markup being stripped
by wp.org.
* Exclude translated .po/.mo/.json language files from the packaged ZIP; only the.
pot source ships, translations are hosted on translate.wordpress.org.
* Bump the Language Link block to apiVersion 3 for iframe block editor compatibility(
WordPress 6.3+).
#### 1.1.0
* Add “hreflang Language Link” block for the Navigation block (block themes), linking
to the current page’s alternate for a chosen language and omitted when no matching
alternate exists.
#### 1.0.0
* Initial release.
## Meta
* Version **1.3.0**
* Last updated **3 days ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.1**
* PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
* Languages
* [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/), [German](https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/),
and [German (Switzerland)](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/).
* [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/sev-simple-hreflang)
* Tags
* [alternate](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/alternate/)[hreflang](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/hreflang/)
[multilingual](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/multilingual/)[navigation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/navigation/)
[seo](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/seo/)
* [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sev-simple-hreflang/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/sev-simple-hreflang/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/sev-simple-hreflang/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Heinrich Franz ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/hfranz/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/sev-simple-hreflang/)