Canonical Tag
What is a Canonical Tag?
A Canonical Tag (rel="canonical") is an HTML element used to specify the preferred version of a webpage when multiple versions of the same content exist. It helps prevent duplicate content issues and ensures search engines index the correct page.
Why Are Canonical Tags Important for SEO?
Canonical Tags are essential for SEO because they:
- Prevent duplicate content penalties by consolidating similar pages.
- Help search engines identify the primary URL for ranking purposes.
- Improve link equity by ensuring all ranking signals go to a single URL.
- Enhance crawl efficiency, reducing wasted crawl budget.
How to Implement a Canonical Tag?
To add a Canonical Tag, place the following code inside the <head> section of the preferred page:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.growseb.com/preferred-page/" />For example, if your site has multiple URLs for the same product:
- ? Preferred URL: https://www.growseb.com/product-name/
- ? Duplicate URL: https://www.growseb.com/category/product-name/
Adding a Canonical Tag to the duplicate page ensures search engines prioritize the preferred one.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Canonical Tags
Common mistakes when using canonical tags:
- Pointing to the wrong page: Ensure the canonical URL is correct.
- Using multiple canonical tags: Each page should have only one canonical tag.
- Not using self-referential canonical tags: If a page is unique, self-canonicalization helps prevent indexing errors.
- Incorrect use on paginated content: Paginated pages should have self-referencing canonical tags instead of pointing to page 1.
How to Check if a Canonical Tag is Working?
To verify if a Canonical Tag is correctly implemented:
- Use “View Page Source” in the browser and check for
<link rel="canonical">. - Test with Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool to see which URL Google considers canonical.
- Use SEO tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to detect canonical tag errors.
