Canonical tag
A canonical tag tells Google which address is the main version of a page when the same or very similar content can be reached at more than one address.
Why it matters
Section titled “Why it matters”Duplicates are common: http and https versions, addresses with and without www, tracking codes on the end, or the same product in two categories. Without a clear main version, Google picks one itself and may split your ranking signals across them.
How to do it
Section titled “How to do it”- Every page should have a canonical tag pointing to itself. This is called a self-referencing canonical.
- Duplicate or near-duplicate pages should point to the main version.
- Use the full address, for example
https://www.example.com.au/roof-painting/. - Link to the main version everywhere on your own site.
- If an old page should never be seen again, use a 301 redirect instead. It’s a stronger signal.
- Don’t use noindex or robots.txt to choose a main version.
Where to set it
Section titled “Where to set it”| Platform | Where |
|---|---|
| WordPress (Yoast SEO) | Yoast adds self-referencing canonicals. To point a page elsewhere, open the Yoast SEO box, go to Advanced and fill in Canonical URL. |
| WordPress (Rank Math) | Rank Math adds self-referencing canonicals. To point elsewhere, open Rank Math, go to Advanced and fill in Canonical URL. |
| Shopify, Squarespace | Added for you automatically. |
| Wix | Added for you. To change one, open the page’s SEO basics and go to the Advanced SEO tab. |
| Custom-built site | Ask your developer to add <link rel="canonical" href="..."> to each page’s <head>. |
Check it worked
Section titled “Check it worked”In Search Console, inspect the page with the URL Inspection tool. It shows the User-declared canonical (yours) and the Google-selected canonical. They should match.
Google’s guide
Section titled “Google’s guide”How to specify a canonical with rel=“canonical” and other methods (Google Search Central)