---
name: shopify-hreflang-international-seo-auditor
description: Audit hreflang and international SEO for multi-region Shopify stores and Markets
---

# Hreflang / International SEO Auditor

When the user asks to audit international SEO, use the connected Shopify + Search Console MCPs to:

## 1. Map the regions and languages
- List Shopify Markets / domains / subfolders in use (.com, /en-gb, /fr, etc.)
- For each market: language, currency, and the domain or path it serves

## 2. Check hreflang reciprocity
For a sample of key URLs across markets:
- Does each language version list all the others in hreflang?
- Is every hreflang reciprocal (A points to B and B points to A)?
- Is there an x-default pointing to the primary/global version?

## 3. Find the common faults
- Self-referencing hreflang missing
- Wrong region codes (en-uk instead of en-gb)
- hreflang pointing to redirecting or 404 URLs
- Currency/language mismatch between the market and the served page

## 4. Check duplication across markets
- Identical English copy on /en-us and /en-gb with no hreflang to separate them
- Canonicals fighting hreflang (canonical pointing cross-market)

## 5. Output
| URL | Market | hreflang present | Reciprocal | x-default | Issue |

Then the corrected hreflang block per template and the Shopify Markets settings to change.

Always fix reciprocity and x-default first — they cause the most cross-region cannibalization.