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Canonical URL: What it is and how to use it
What is a Canonical URL
Canonical URL is a special tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the primary one if there are multiple pages with identical or very similar content on a website.
It is used to combat duplicate content, which can negatively affect SEO.
Canonical is specified in the HTML code of the page and looks like this:
This tag tells search engines like Google and Yandex that this specific URL should be considered the main one.
Why is a Canonical URL needed
1. Solves the problem of duplicate pages
Identical pages with different URLs may appear on the site. For example:
A search engine might consider them different pages.
Canonical indicates that the main page is one.
2. Transfers SEO weight to the main page
If multiple pages have the same content, links can be distributed among them.
Canonical helps transfer all SEO weight to one page, which improves its ranking.
3. Aids in correct indexing
Search engines understand:
- which page to index
- which pages to consider duplicates
- which page to show in search results
When to use Canonical
Canonical is useful in the following cases:
1. Pages with parameters
For example:
site.com/catalog?sort=price
site.com/catalog?page=2
Canonical points to the main page.
2. Online stores
In stores on WooCommerce, a single product can be in multiple categories:
site.com/category2/product
Canonical helps to choose the main product page.
3. Page duplicates
For example:
Canonical indicates which version is the main one.
How to add a Canonical URL
1. Via WordPress SEO plugins
If the site runs on WordPress, Canonical is added automatically through SEO plugins:
- Yoast SEO
- Rank Math
- All in One SEO
These plugins automatically add canonical for each page.
2. Add manually
You can add the tag to the <head> section of the page:
Canonical vs Redirect
Many confuse canonical and redirect.
The difference:
Canonical
- informs search engines about the main page
- the user can open different URLs
301 Redirect
- fully redirects the user
- the old URL is no longer used
Common Canonical Errors
1. Specifying an incorrect URL
Canonical must lead to a real existing page.
2. Canonical to another page without reason
If the pages are different, canonical cannot be used.
3. Mismatch between canonical and sitemap
The sitemap.xml file should contain only canonical pages.
How to check Canonical
You can check in several ways:
- open the page code
- find the canonical tag
or use services:
Google Search Console
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Canonical URL is an important technical SEO tool that helps search engines correctly identify the main page of a website.
It allows you to:
- avoid duplicate pages
- transfer SEO weight to the main page
- improve site indexing
Canonical is especially important for:
- online stores
- large websites
- sites with URL parameters
