Forced Language Redirect
Site forces visitors to a specific language version based on IP or browser settings without allowing them to switch. This also blocks search engines from indexing all versions.
Use this article when
- You need deeper remediation guidance than the issue card can show.
- You want CMS-specific steps before handing the fix to a developer.
- You want a repeatable re-check path after shipping the change.
What this issue is
Site forces visitors to a specific language version based on IP or browser settings without allowing them to switch. This also blocks search engines from indexing all versions.
Why it matters
Site forces visitors to a specific language version based on IP or browser settings without allowing them to switch. This also blocks search engines from indexing all versions. This affects how clearly search engines understand the page and how persuasive it looks in search results.
How we detect it
- FreeSiteAudit flags this issue when the rule for INTL-FORCED-REDIRECT-001 fails and the page evidence points to Http headers.
- You can usually confirm this by checking the page source or the relevant page settings inside your CMS.
Evidence examples
How to fix it
- 1Replace forced redirects with a suggestion banner that users can dismiss
- 2Allow Googlebot and other bots to access all language versions without redirect
- 3Use hreflang tags to signal language alternatives instead of redirects
How to re-check it
- Accessing any language version directly does not redirect based on location
Related tools
This issue is best verified with the full FreeSiteAudit crawl rather than a single-point mini tool.