P0Issue #25
Canonicals : Canonicalised
❓ What does it mean?
❓ What does it mean?
A page is considered Canonicalised when it contains a rel="canonical" tag pointing to another URL instead of itself.
This tells search engines:
👉 “This page is a duplicate or variation, and the preferred/primary version is the canonical URL.”
Example:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/product/shoes" />
Here, the current page is telling search engines:
⚠️ “Don’t index me directly, index example.com/product/shoes instead.”
🚨 Why is it important for SEO?
🚨 Why is it bad for SEO (if misused)?
Canonicalisation is not always an error—it’s often intentional (to handle duplicates like UTM-tagged URLs or faceted navigation).
But wrong usage can cause:
Ranking Loss → If the wrong URL is set as canonical, your actual valuable page won’t rank.
Indexing Issues → The canonicalised page may get dropped from Google’s index.
Diluted Link Equity → Backlinks to canonicalised pages may not consolidate properly.
Confused Crawlers → Inconsistent canonical signals can confuse search engines about the “master” page.
✅ How to Fix It
✅ How to Fix It
Use Self-Referencing Canonicals (when needed)
If the page is unique and should be indexed, the canonical should point to itself.
❌ Bad Example (Wrong Canonicalised Page):
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/home" />
(But the page is actually /about — this wrongly canonicalises About page to Home.)
✅ Good Example (Self-Canonical):
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/about" />
Only Canonicalise True Duplicates
Use canonical tags for parameters, duplicates, or sorting/filter pages.
Example:
URL: https://example.com/shoes?color=red
Canonical: https://example.com/shoes
Ensure Canonical and Redirects Align
Don’t point a canonical to a URL that redirects → Google may ignore it.
Avoid Conflicting Signals
Don’t set canonical pointing to A but sitemap, internal links, or hreflang pointing to B.
❌ Bad Example
📌 Example
❌ Bad (Misused Canonical):
URL: https://example.com/blog/seo-tips-2025
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/blog" />
(Search engines will ignore the article and only index the blog homepage.)
✅ Good Example
✅ Good (Correct Canonical):
URL: https://example.com/blog/seo-tips-2025
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/blog/seo-tips-2025" />
(Search engines correctly index the article page.)
⚡ Result
⚡ Result of Fixing
Preserves correct ranking page
Consolidates link equity across variations
Prevents duplicate content issues
Improves crawl efficiency
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean when a page is canonicalised?
A page is considered canonicalised when it contains a rel="canonical" tag pointing to another URL instead of itself, indicating that the preferred version is the canonical URL.
How does canonicalisation affect SEO?
If misused, it can lead to ranking loss, indexing issues, diluted link equity, and confusion for search engines about the master page.
How can I fix issues caused by incorrect canonicalisation?
You can fix them by using self-referencing canonicals when needed, only canonicalising true duplicates, ensuring canonical and redirects align, and avoiding conflicting signals.
When should I use canonical tags?
You should use canonical tags for duplicate content, parameterized URLs, or sorting/filter pages to indicate the preferred version for indexing.