A canonical URL tells search engines which version of a webpage should be treated as the main or preferred version when multiple URLs contain the same or very similar content.
This can help search engines understand which URL to index and use as the primary version in search results.
What is a canonical URL?
A canonical URL is the preferred URL for a page when there are multiple URLs that lead to the same or similar content.
For example, these URLs could potentially represent the same page:
https://example.com/services
https://example.com/services?source=google
https://example.com/services?utm_campaign=springThe canonical URL could be:
https://example.com/servicesThis tells search engines that /services is the preferred version.
Why are canonical URLs important for SEO?
Websites can sometimes have multiple URLs pointing to the same content. Search engines need to determine which version should be considered the primary page.
Canonical URLs can help:
- Identify the preferred version of a page.
- Consolidate signals from duplicate or very similar URLs.
- Reduce confusion when multiple URLs contain similar content.
- Help search engines understand which URL you want indexed.
- Make your site's URL structure more consistent.
A canonical URL is a signal, not a guarantee. Search engines can still choose a different canonical URL if they determine that another version is more appropriate.
Canonical URL vs. redirect
A canonical URL does not redirect visitors. It simply tells search engines which URL you prefer.
Use a redirect when an old or unwanted URL should automatically send visitors to another page.
Use a canonical URL when multiple versions of a page should remain accessible but you want to identify the preferred version for search engines.
Best practices
When setting a canonical URL:
- Use the URL of the preferred version of the page.
- Make sure the canonical URL is accessible.
- Use the same preferred URL consistently in your internal links.
- Avoid pointing unrelated pages to the same canonical URL.
- Don't use canonical URLs as a replacement for redirects.
- For multilingual pages, don't automatically canonicalize every language version to the same language. Each language version can have its own canonical URL.
How to check a canonical URL
You can check a page's canonical URL using Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool or by viewing the page's HTML.
A canonical tag looks like this:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/services">Keep in mind that a canonical URL is a signal to search engines, not a guarantee. Google may choose a different canonical URL if it determines that another version is more appropriate.
Canonical URLs in Super
For most Super websites, you don't need to configure canonical URLs unless you have a specific duplicate or similar-content issue.
If you're using canonical URLs, make sure the preferred URL matches the page you actually want search engines and visitors to use.