What is a Canonical Tag (or Canonical URL)?

A canonical tag, also called a canonical tag, is an HTML element that helps webmasters prevent duplicate website content. The canonical tag tells search engines which version of a page is the original or “canonical” version.

When multiple pages have the same or similar content, it can be difficult for search engines to determine which page is the most relevant result. The canonical tag helps search engines by telling them which page is the original or “canonical” version of a page. This helps search engines index the correct page and prevents them from indexing duplicate content.

How do I add a canonical URL to my website?

There are several ways to add a canonical tag to your website. One way is to add it directly to your pages' HTML code. Another way is to use a plugin or tool that automatically generates your tags.

The canonical HTML tag will take the form below:

One thing to keep in mind is that you should only have one canonical tag per page.

Frequently Asked Questions For Canonical URL

What is URL Canonicalization?

URLs are usually written in an extended format, which is not easy to share on social media or search engines. You can shorten URLs to make them more readable and easier to communicate with URL canonicalization.

What is the use of canonical URLs?

A canonical URL is a unique URL that identifies the most authoritative version of a web page or website. It is usually applied to websites, but it can also be used for other types of content, such as blog posts and images.

How are canonical URLs helpful?

A canonical URL can help prevent duplicate content issues on your website or blog. If you have multiple URLs pointing to the same content, Google will prefer the canonical URL over others because it is more trustworthy.