Canonical tags
Canonical tags Canonical tags are HTML tags that are inserted into the <head> section of a website or can be applied via server headers. Its purpose is to solve the problem of duplicate content by showing search engines (especially Google) which versions of similar or identical content at different URLs should be prioritized in search results. This tag became necessary due to the proliferation of tracking parameters, resulting in different URLs leading to essentially the same content, albeit with different tracking data attached. Google processes each URL individually, resulting in the indexing of duplicate content and diminishing the site’s visibility in search results. Unlike redirects, which are explicit instructions, canonical tags serve more as suggestions to Google. While Google takes this indication very seriously and takes it into account in its ranking algorithm, it also considers other signals, such as the presence of a URL in an XML sitemap or the number of inbound links. However, the exact meaning of these signals in Google’s decision-making process remains somewhat unclear. To determine whether Google indeed considers a specified canonical URL, you can run an information query on Google about canonical URLs. If the generated URL matches the specified canonical URL, it means Google respects the claim. Otherwise, Google will ignore it. Several guidelines ensure effective implementation of regulatory labels: 1. Each URL can have only one rel-canonical directive. 2. Absolute URLs with protocol and subdomain should be used. 3. Consistency is critical, including using a single protocol (HTTP or HTTPS), whether www or non-www, and maintaining consistent use of trailing slashes. 4. The canonical target must be a functional URL with an HTTP 200 status code, indexable, and used for ranking….
Canonical tags
Canonical tags are HTML tags that are inserted into the <head> section of a website or can be applied via server headers. Its purpose is to solve the problem of duplicate content by showing search engines (especially Google) which versions of similar or identical content at different URLs should be prioritized in search results.
This tag became necessary due to the proliferation of tracking parameters, resulting in different URLs leading to essentially the same content, albeit with different tracking data attached. Google processes each URL individually, resulting in the indexing of duplicate content and diminishing the site’s visibility in search results.
Unlike redirects, which are explicit instructions, canonical tags serve more as suggestions to Google. While Google takes this indication very seriously and takes it into account in its ranking algorithm, it also considers other signals, such as the presence of a URL in an XML sitemap or the number of inbound links. However, the exact meaning of these signals in Google’s decision-making process remains somewhat unclear.
To determine whether Google indeed considers a specified canonical URL, you can run an information query on Google about canonical URLs. If the generated URL matches the specified canonical URL, it means Google respects the claim. Otherwise, Google will ignore it.
Several guidelines ensure effective implementation of regulatory labels:
1. Each URL can have only one rel-canonical directive.
2. Absolute URLs with protocol and subdomain should be used.
3. Consistency is critical, including using a single protocol (HTTP or HTTPS), whether www or non-www, and maintaining consistent use of trailing slashes.
4. The canonical target must be a functional URL with an HTTP 200 status code, indexable, and used for ranking.
5. Avoid creating canonical tag chains as Google will ignore them.
6. Make sure the content of the pages being normalized is indeed similar. Otherwise, Google may ignore the label.
7. The Site Audit Tool Issue Report can help identify and resolve issues related to canonical tags, such as: for example, broken canonical links, multiple canonical URLs, and AMP pages without canonical tags.
