Canonical Tag

The SEO term “canonical tag” refers to a piece of HTML code that tells search engines which version of a webpage should be considered the primary or “canonical” version when there are multiple versions of the same content.

This tag helps prevent duplicate content issues that can negatively impact a website’s search engine rankings.

Importance in SEO

The canonical tag is crucial in maintaining SEO integrity by ensuring that search engines attribute the value of multiple versions of the same content to a single, preferred URL.

This helps prevent the dilution of link equity and improves the accuracy of indexing and ranking.

Example

Imagine a website has both www and non-www versions of its homepage. Without the canonical tag, search engines might see these as two separate pages, which could lead to a duplicate content penalty.

By using the canonical tag, the website can specify that the www version is the primary version, directing the search engine’s focus to the intended URL.

Do

• Use the canonical tag when you have multiple pages with similar or identical content, such as product listings or blog categories.
• Include the canonical tag in the head section of your HTML, specifying the preferred URL.
• Update the canonical tag if your website’s structure changes to ensure it always points to the most relevant page.

Don’t

• Overuse or abuse the canonical tag by applying it to pages that do not have duplicate content issues.
• Use the canonical tag instead of providing unique and valuable content on each page of your website.
• Forget to update the canonical tag when making significant changes to your website’s structure or content.