Aug 31, 2024

What is Canonical Tag? How Can We Implement on Websites?

What is canonical Tag?

A canonical tag (rel="canonical") is an HTML element that helps webmasters prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the "preferred" version of a web page. When multiple URLs have similar or identical content, the canonical tag tells search engines which URL should be treated as the authoritative source, thus consolidating ranking signals and avoiding potential penalties.

Why is Canonical Tag Important?

Avoids Duplicate Content Issues: Sometimes, the same content might appear on different URLs. Without a canonical tag, search engines might not know which version to rank, potentially splitting your ranking power and leading to lower visibility in search results.

1. Consolidates Link Equity: When different versions of a page have links pointing to them, a canonical tag helps consolidate all the link equity (the value passed through backlinks) to the preferred page. This strengthens the page’s authority and helps it rank better.

2. Prevents Indexing of Unwanted Pages: You might have pages that are similar but not important for search results. A canonical tag ensures that search engines focus on the primary page, reducing the chances of less relevant pages getting indexed.

Example

Imagine you have an online store, and the same product is available on multiple URLs due to sorting options, like:

https://example.com/product?color=red

https://example.com/product?size=large

https://example.com/product

How to Implement Canonical Tag on a Website

1. Identify Duplicate Content: Identify pages on your site that have similar or identical content, such as product pages with different filtering options, or pages accessible via multiple URLs (e.g., with and without parameters). Below are the examples -

`https://example.com/product?color=red`

https://example.com/product?size=large

https://example.com/product

2. Choose the Canonical URL: Decide which version of the page is the most important and should be indexed. This is usually the version with the cleanest URL, without session IDs, tracking parameters, etc. In above example main url will be as most important version to be indexed.

https://example.com/product

Rest urls will use canonical url of this main version to index while other version Will not index by google. Canonical url for below link will be

https://example.com/product?color=red

Canonical Url

It means above url will not be indexed by google but canonical url will be indexed by google.

3. Add the Canonical Tag: In the <head> section of the HTML of the chosen canonical page, add the following line:

Replace https://www.example.com/preferred-page-url with the actual canonical URL.

4. Ensure Proper Implementation:Make sure that each duplicate or similar page also contains a canonical tag pointing to the preferred URL. For example, if you have three pages with similar content, page A, B, and C, all should contain a canonical tag pointing to page A if it’s the preferred version.

5. Test the Implementation: Use tools like Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to ensure that your canonical tags are being correctly recognized by search engines.

You can also check the source code of your web pages to verify the canonical tag is present and accurate.

6. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor your website’s performance and search engine indexing to ensure that your canonical tags are functioning as intended. Adjust the canonical tags if there are any changes in your content strategy or URL structure.

Tools to Help with Canonical Tag

Google Search Console: Allows you to inspect URLs and see which version of the page Google considers canonical.
SEO Audit Tools (e.g., Screaming Frog, Ahrefs): These tools can crawl your site and identify canonical tag issues.
Content Management Systems (CMS): Most modern CMSs like WordPress, Shopify, or Magento offer plugins or built-in functionality to easily manage canonical tags.

Implementing canonical tags properly is crucial for SEO success, particularly for sites with a lot of similar or duplicated content. At Trendy Digital Academy, we emphasize the importance of canonical tags in SEO. For any query write or call to Trendy Digital Academy.

What is Canonical Tag? How Can We Implement on Websites?