Canonical Tags: The Ultimate Guide

When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) there is a lot to think about.

From generating search engine-friendly content to ensuring you are using the best meta tags. It can get a little complex.

Although canonical tags can seem like another, inconvenient SEO task to add to your pile.

Once you understand how they work, they can be simple to apply and will pay dividends in your SEO efforts.

In this guide, we walk you through each step that you need to know when it comes to canonical tags.

We offer insight into what canonical tags are. We cover why they are so important.

We discuss how to apply them to your website and we offer advice on the best practices to ensure you get the most out of them.

So, if you are ready to become the king (or queen) or canonical tags, then read on…

What are canonical tags?

Before we dive into the important details of exactly how to apply canonical tags to your website let’s define exactly what we mean by the term.

Canonical tags do one very important job on your site.

They show search engines which content is ‘original’ and which is a duplicate.

We will explore why doing this is important in detail in the next section.

Not using canonical tags to highlight duplicate content can be very bad for SEO.

Unless you copy and paste your content you may not think your website hosts any duplicate content.

Yet many pages are duplicated based on variations of what that page contains.

Canonical tags are required even if the content of a webpage is mostly identical to another.

This is especially common on ecommerce websites.

Here is an example to illustrate this point:

Example Webpage 1

Webpage Description: This webpage is the generic page for a specific product on the example website (a jumper). It holds key information such as materials used and a description of how the jumper looks

Example Webpage 2

Webpage Description: This webpage is identical in almost every way. Except for the fact that the visitor has selected to view the product in a specific color.

The images and some of the descriptions may change due to color selection.

As each page has a different URL, search engines will see these pages as duplicates. Hence canonical tags will need to be used in this case.

The URL for the ‘original’ content is known as the canonical URL. Google defines this as:

Why are canonical tags important for SEO?

Duplicate content is bad for your website’s SEO. Why? Because when there is duplicate content online it can be difficult for search engines to decipher which one is the original.

This makes it difficult for them to know which version of the content they should reward with the most ‘search juice’.

In cases where canonical tags are not used, Google will make the best guess as to which version of the content is canonical.

This can lead to the less valuable pages on your website receiving the most benefit.

It is also important to use canonical tags on other websites which publish similar or exact-match content.

In these cases, it can lead to other websites gaining better Search Engine Result Page (SERP) rankings from the content you have created.

For example, let’s assume you write a blog post: SEO Best Practices.

You publish it on your website and start to build some good traffic.

But you want to reach more people with the helpful information included in the blog.

So, you ask a friend with a similar website to also post your blog post. In theory, there is no issue with this. You are simply increasing your reach.

But, as we have explained, search engines can get confused when the same content is duplicated.

They won’t know which one is ‘most representative’.

This could lead to your website content being penalized. It can also mean that your friend’s website receives the benefit of your hard work.

This means that canonical tags can (and should) also be used where your content is duplicated or nearly duplicated on other websites.

How to implement canonical tags?

At this point in the guide, you know what a canonical tag is and why they are important for your website. Especially when it comes to SEO.

Now it is time to discuss the technicalities of actually using canonical tags on your site.

There are five options to choose from to achieve the same goal. Each one differs in its suitability based on the scenario.

These options include HTML tag, HTTP header, Sitemap, 301 redirects, and internal links.

We will walk you through each one. Highlighting how and when they are best used.

Let’s start with…

HTML Tag (rel=canonical)

The rel=canonical tag is by far the most widely accepted method for highlighting your canonical URL on your website. Using the HTML tag is quick to apply and is easy for search engines to read.

To use this tag, you first need to decide which page is canonical (most important).

For example, you may have three URLs that all lead to very similar pages. So, you need to pick which one of the three should be considered the best and/or original.

Once you have decided, apply the following to the <head> section of the web pages that contain the duplicate content:

<link rel=“canonical” href=“[insert canonical URL here]” />

Here is what this code is telling the search engine:

link rel=“canonical” = this page is duplicate content, the following link is the canonical URL

href=“[insert canonical URL here]” = the URL inside the speech marks is the canonical URL

NOTE: Some website platforms may not allow you to edit the HTML code of your site directly. In most of these cases, they will allow you to add canonical tags in the options settings for each page. 

HTTP Header

“An HTTP header is a field of an HTTP request or response that passes additional context and metadata about the request or response. “

So, you can also use an HTTP header to pass on information on duplicate content.

This may be necessary when there is no opportunity to include a canonical tag in the <head> section of a web page.

One common example of this is when a PDF is hosted online.

Here is what an HTTP header may look like in this instance:

Sitemap

When submitting sitemaps to search engines like Google you can specify your canonical pages. This is a quick and easy method for highlighting duplicate content for larger sites. Yet it is not considered the best method.

As this doesn’t make it incredibly obvious to search engines which URL is canonical, where possible, use another method. Alternatively, use another method.

301 Redirect

Using a 301 redirect takes a slightly different approach to dealing with canonical pages.

Most methods we cover in this section highlight to search engines that the web page it is viewing isn’t the canonical URL.

301 redirects physically move visitors from that page onto the canonical URL.

Let’s say you have a website will multiple variations of URLs that offer a version of the homepage, such as:

You may choose to use a 301 redirect on all the URLs except the main one.

This will allow you to avoid having to introduce other methods such as canonical tags.

As when you use a 301 redirect it will take the visitor (and search engine) directly to the most relevant URL.

Internal Links

Internal linking is also very important when it comes to implementing canonical tags.

When you link from one part of your website to another this is seen as a signal to search engines. You are telling search engines that the URL that you are linking to is the canonical URL.

For example, if you write a blog post entitled ‘Top Tips for Backlinking’. You may include links to other pages on your site.

Such as a link to a backlink-building service page.

It is important to consider the exact link you use for that service page, as it will signal to search engines that it is the canonical URL.

Canonicalization Best Practices

In the last section, we clarified the different options available to you for applying canonical URLs to your website.

Now we dive a little deeper into canonicalization and provide some insight into best practices. Helping you to get the most from the process.

Canonicalization is all about sending a clear message to search engines like Google.

By following the best practices we highlight below you will give yourself the best chance of sending clear signals. This will help boost your search engine rankings.

Self-Referential Canonical Tags

Canonical tags should be added to pages that have duplicated or near-duplicated content included.

This is a must-do for those looking to undertake canonicalization.

Yet you can also include a self-referencing canonical tag to further increase the evidence you provide search engines.

What do we mean by this?

A self-referential canonical tag uses the same code, but this time it is pointing search engines toward itself.

Telling them that the page the search engine is indexing is the canonical URL.

Here is an example. Let’s say https://mojodojo.io/blog/ is our canonical URL. Other URLs which lead to similar pages would use a canonical tag directing search engines to this URL.

But you can also include a canonical tag on the https://mojodojo.io/blog/ page to point search engines towards itself. This would look like this:

<link rel=“canonical” href=“https://mojodojo.io/blog/” />

Canonicalize Your Home Page

When canonicalizing your website, it is easy to focus solely on pages such as product pages and blog posts.

But arguably the most important page to canonicalize is your home page.

Why?

Because canonicalization is all about highlighting to search engines which pages you want to be indexed.

Out of all your web pages, it is usually most important for websites to have their home page correctly indexed.

So, it is best practice to canonicalize your home page.

This can include using self-referential canonical tags. You will also need to use canonical tags on any version of your homepage that uses a different URL.

This could include www. and non-www. versions as well as HTTP and HTTPS versions.

For example, for our home page, our canonical URL is https://mojodojo.io/.

So we would use canonical tags for URLs such as:

www.MojoDojo.com.au/mojodojo

MojoDojo.com.au/mojodojo

For each of these pages, we would include the following code in the <head> section of the page:

<link rel=“canonical” href=“https://mojodojo.io/” />

Use Absolute URLs

Both absolute and relative URLs are acceptable when creating canonical tags.

But it is widely accepted as best practice to use absolute URLs.

A canonical tag using an absolute URL would look like this:

A relative URL only includes the path. A canonical tag using a relative URL would look like this:

By using the absolute URL for your canonical tags you ensure that search engines will interpret them correctly.

Use Lowercase URLs

You may be forgiven for thinking that search engines treat lowercase and uppercase letters in URLs the same.

But it has been clarified by Google that URLs may be seen as different when upper or lowercase is used.

This means they could identify two of the same URLs as different if they use a different combination of uppercase and lowercase letters.

To save confusion, use lowercase URLs across the board. This is especially important for external links and canonical tags, as most webmasters tend to use lowercase URLs when linking to other sites.

For example, don’t use uppercase letters in URLs like https://mojodojo.io/ for your canonical tag.

Instead use all lowercase, such as https://mojodojo.io/.

Use One Canonical Tag Per Page

This guide has made the role of canonical tags clear. Their purpose is to direct search engines to the canonical URL.

The canonical URL is treated as the one true source of information. So, it is clear that when multiple canonical tags are used on one page this could confuse search engines.

For example, let’s say there were two canonical tags used on a page <head> section:

In this case, Google wouldn’t know whether the canonical URL was https://mojodojo.io/blog/ or https://mojodojo.io/news/.

This means they would treat neither as correct.

So, using many canonical tags is as bad as using none at all.

Prefer HTTPS Over HTTP For Canonical URLs

HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP.  It uses the SSL/TLS protocol for encryption and authentication.

Safe sites provide a better experience for website visitors. As search engines are trying to serve searchers with the best results, it is clear why they prefer HTTPS over their HTTP equivalent.

Google states:

“Google prefers HTTPS pages over equivalent HTTP pages as canonical, except when there are issues or conflicting signals”

Conflicting signals can occur for several reasons. Such as when the SSL certificate for the HTTPS page has expired. Or when then HTTPS redirects users through to an HTTP version of the page.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Canonicalization

As canonicalization is all about sending the right signals to search engines, it is important to avoid mistakes that can undo all your hard work.

In this section, we will walk you through some common mistakes when undertaking canonicalization and ways you can avoid them

Incorrect URL Formatting

Earlier in this guide, we discussed how absolute URLs are the best for creating a canonical tag.

But you can use both relative and absolute URLs. Whichever you use, you must use the correct format to ensure it is read correctly.

For example, when using an absolute URL, you must include the HTTP or HTTPS prefix.

Otherwise, search engines can have issues with indexing the tag. This may lead to your canonical tag being ignored by search engines altogether.

Blocking the Canonicalized URL via robots.txt

Robots.txt tells a search engine where they should (or should not) go on your website.

So, if you block your canonicalized URL via robots.txt, then it prevents search engines from accessing the page.

This will render the canonicalization process pointless. It will also end any ranking benefits you may have secured from creating a canonicalized URL.

The same rule goes for any pages on which you have used your canonical tag.

If you decide to block any of these pages via robot.txt, the ‘link juice’ you provide your canonical URL will be lost.

Using ‘noindex’ on Canonical Pages

The whole point of creating a canonical page is to show search engines which page they should give preference to when indexing your site.

So, telling a search engine that your canonical page is a ‘noindex’ page is a direct contradiction to using a canonical page.

This will simply confuse search engines and will likely lead to your page not being indexed at all.

Never use ‘noindex’ on a canonical URL.

Not Including Canonical Tags in <head>

For your canonical tags to be read by search engines, they need to be included in the <head> section of your code.

If you include your tag in another part of your code, such as the <body> section it will fail to be read and understood by search engines.

Include the canonical tag early in the <head> section to ensure it is properly read.

How to Audit and Fix Canonicalization Issues

The correct deployment of canonicalization can have a big, positive impact on your search engine rankings.

However, poor canonicalization can have the opposite effect. So, when you use canonicalization it is important to consistently audit your site. This will help you spot issues and remedy them in a timely manner.

You can audit your site manually. This involves investigating the code for each page on your site separately.

But as you can imagine, this can take considerable time. This is especially true for sites with a large number of pages.

You can also spot common errors on the Google search console.

This type of automated audit tool can help you quickly identify potential errors and fix them quickly.

Set a reminder to audit your canonicalization. How often you do this will depend on how many pages you are adding to your site. For smaller sites, once a month should be enough.

Canonical Tags: Summary

It is clear that using canonicalization will pay dividends.

Especially for those looking to improve their search engine rankings. Make it clear to search engines which are canonical URLs.

Using canonical tags will let you highlight duplicate content.

This makes it easy for them to decide which pages should rank on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).

This may seem complex. But in reality, canonicalizing your site isn’t all that difficult.

All it takes is a little time to decide which pages are those that you want to be indexed. Then apply a simple piece of code.

This either appoints a page as the canonical URL or directs search engines toward that page.

It is important to remember that the process of canonicalizing your website is all about sending search engines a signal.

It isn’t a case of adding a self-directing canonical tag and assuming that it will be enough to rank a canonical URL.

Instead, canonicalization is all about using best practices to make it very clear to search engines which URL is canonical.

Using the tips and advice we have laid out in this guide will help you do this.