Canonicalization

What is Canonicalization?

In the realm of SEO, canonicalization is crucial for preventing duplicate content issues. When multiple URLs point to essentially the same content, search engines can get confused about which URL to index or rank. By specifying a canonical URL, webmasters can help search engines identify the original source of content, ensuring that SEO value is not diluted. This process not only improves a website's search engine ranking but also enhances the user experience by directing them to the most relevant version of a page.

Canonicalization in SEO refers to the process of selecting the best URL when there are several choices and using it as the preferred or canonical URL.

Examples

A blog post on a website can be accessed through various URLs, such as 'https://www.example.com/blog-post' and 'https://example.com/blog-post'. By setting the canonical URL to 'https://www.example.com/blog-post', the site tells search engines to consider this as the primary URL.

An e-commerce site may have product pages accessible via multiple parameters, like 'https://www.store.com/product?id=123' and 'https://www.store.com/product/shoes'. Setting the canonical URL to 'https://www.store.com/product/shoes' ensures the correct page is indexed.

Additional Information

Canonical tags are added to the HTML head section of a webpage using the <link rel="canonical"> element.

Google and other search engines use canonical tags to consolidate link signals for duplicate or similar content URLs.

References

The Definitive Guide to SEO Canonicalization - Neil Patel

What is URL Canonicalization | Google Search Central | Documentation ...

Google Uses 20 Canonicalization Signals - Ahrefs