Canonical tags, canonical URLs, and URL structures can sound overwhelmingly complex. But they’re pretty simple.
It’s all about helping Google (and other search engines) understand which pages on your website are the priority.
When you have a few pages with overlap — like, say, a category page and then a few product pages where there are only a few slight differences — a canonical tag flags the main page. The page that should be considered first.
We’re taking you through canonical tags, URL structures, and how you can use these to make your SEO strategy airtight.
Let’s jump in 🤿
- Canonical tags help search engines understand which pages on your site are the main versions, preventing duplicate content issues and consolidating ranking signals.
- Using absolute URLs, maintaining consistent protocols (like HTTPS), and ensuring uniform formatting (like lowercase and hyphens) across your URLs make your SEO strategy more effective.
- A clear, logical hierarchy in your URL structure helps search engines and users easily navigate your site, improving crawl efficiency and user engagement.
- For content republished on other websites, ensure canonical tags point back to your original content to retain SEO authority.
- Protect your content from being outranked by unauthorised copies by using self-referencing canonical tags and monitoring for duplicate content.
- Well-structured URLs complement canonical tags, making your site easier to crawl, improving internal linking, and ensuring consistent indexing across platforms.
What is a canonical tag? 👯♀️
A canonical tag is a HTML element that helps you prevent duplicate content issues by specifying which page on your website is the “preferred” one.
Basically, it’s how you tell search engines which URL should be considered the most important version of a page when you have multiple pages with similar or identical content.
So, if you have the same product available under different URLs, such as:
example.com/product-red
example.com/product?colour=red
You would use a canonical tag to show the search engines which URL is the main one — the one you want to be indexed and ranked.
Here's what it looks like 👇
So, when do you use a canonical tag? 🧠
So, you get it now, right? Canonical tags are how you tell search engines there is duplicate content or very similar content across your site.
It’s important because duplicate content can cause issues. It can dilute your pages’ ranking power and confuse which pages should rank where over each other. In some cases, it can even cause Google to penalise you.
Even without the penalty, though, spreading your page authority across multiple URLs is never good.
So, here’s when you should use a canonical tag.
Multiple URLs
When the same content is accessible through different URLs. Like if you have tracking parameters or session IDs in use that create different URLs for the same page.
Content Syndication
When the same content is published on different websites.
Dynamic URLs
When your website generates different URLs for the same content based on how the user uses your website. Like when a product page is reached through a search function or filters.
Best practices for implementing canonical tags 🏷
So, how do you set up canonical tags for the best results?
1. Use absolute URLs
When you set up your canonical tags, it’s important to use absolute URLs rather than relative ones. An absolute URL includes the full path, such as https://www.example.com/page, instead of just /page.
This makes sure the search engines can accurately identify the canonical version of your page without any confusion — even if your content is accessed from different locations or subdomains.
2. Make sure your URLs are in lowercase
Example:
Use: https://www.example.com/page Avoid: https://www.example.com/Page By making sure all of your URLs are in lowercase, you can maintain consistency and avoid unnecessary complications when it comes to indexing.3. Only specify one canonical tag per page
Each page should have only one canonical tag that points to a single URL. Multiple canonical tags on the same page can confuse search engines, leading to indexing issues and potentially harming your SEO.
If you’re working with dynamic pages or complex CMS setups, double-check that only one canonical tag is on each page.
4. Use the correct domain protocol
Example:
If your site is secured, use: https://www.example.com/page Avoid using: http://www.example.com/page Being specific with the correct protocol helps search engines understand which version of the page should be indexed. This avoids potential security and indexing issues.5. Consistency matters
6. Use self-referencing canonical tags
What do you do for syndicated content or copycat websites? 🐱
Syndicated content
When your content is syndicated—where it’s republished on other websites—it’s important to manage canonical tags correctly to make sure your original content keeps all that good SEO authority.
Syndicating your content can help you reach a wider audience — which is great. But without the right canonical tag management, it can also create duplicate content issues.
- Request canonical tags on syndicated versions: Whenever your content is published on other websites, request that they include a canonical tag pointing back to your original article. This tells search engines that the original source of the content is the preferred version and shoots all SEO benefits back to your site.
- Use a syndication-friendly approach: If you regularly syndicate content, consider including a self-referencing canonical tag on your original article and informing syndication partners to avoid including a canonical tag at all. This way, the original content keeps all of its authority, and the syndicated versions are recognised as secondary.
- Rel="nofollow" links: In some cases, if the syndicating site cannot add a canonical tag, you can ask them to add a rel="nofollow" attribute to the links pointing to your site. This won’t directly hand you that SEO value like a canonical tag would, but it can prevent the syndicated content from negatively impacting your SEO.
Copycat websites
Having your website content ripped off is frustrating at best, but really bad for your SEO at worst. These sites can cause duplicate content issues and potentially outrank your original content if it’s not handled correctly.
- Canonical tags on your original content: Even if you’re dealing with unauthorised copying, having a self-referencing canonical tag on your original content is a good way to protect it. This tells search engines that your version is the 'first', or the authoritative one. This helps you maintain your SEO rankings even if copycat sites are duplicating your content.
- Monitor for duplicate content: Use tools like Google Alerts, Copyscape, or Ahrefs to regularly monitor the internet for duplicate content. Finding unauthorised copies early allows you to take action quickly to protect your SEO standing.
- Consider legal advice: Pretty often, just emailing the owner of the copycat website is an effective way to get them to update their content (to content that isn't yours). If a website consistently copies your website's content and begins to damage your SEO or brand reputation, it might be worth seeking legal advice.
Now for URL structures 🔗
Keep URLs simple and descriptive
A good URL should be simple, descriptive, and easy to understand. Users and search engines should be able to guess what the page is about just by looking at the URL. Avoid using long strings of numbers, special characters, or irrelevant words.
- Keep it short
- Use keywords (but don't stuff them in there)
- Avoid using underscores, spaces, or special characters (they're confusing for search engines)
Use hyphens to separate words
Hyphens (-) are the preferred method for separating words in URLs. Search engines treat hyphens as spaces, which makes it easier for them to read your URL. Avoid using underscores (_) as they are not treated as word separators.
Maintain a logical hierarchy
Your URL structure should reflect the logical hierarchy of your website. This not only helps search engines understand the relationships between different pages but also makes navigation easier for users.
So, each segment indicates another step down in the hierarchy of your website.
Example:
example.com/blog/great-seo-article
This is saying on this website, there is a blog, and on that blog is a great SEO article.
How canonical tags & URL structures come together 🤝
A good URL structure keeps your canonical tags clean & simple 🤩
One of the key roles of canonical tags is to point SEO authority to the right page — especially where pages share similar or identical content but different URLs. A well-structured URL ensures that the canonical tag is pointing to a clean, consistent, and descriptive URL that both search engines and users can easily understand.
Boost crawl efficiency 🚀
Search engines have a limited budget when it comes to crawling websites. Using good URL structures and canonical tags helps ensure that search engines spend their crawl budget wisely, so your most important pages get the right attention first.
Make internal linking simple & logical 🔗
Internal linking is another area where canonical tags and URL structures come together. A consistent URL structure supports effective internal linking, while canonical tags make sure that these links point to the correct version of a page.
