What is a Canonical Tag? Duplicate Content Solved

A Canonical Tag (often called rel="canonical") is a simple HTML tag that tells search engines: "Hey, out of all the duplicate versions of this page, THIS one is the original."

The Problem: Duplicate Content 👯

Search engines hate duplicate content. If 5 different URLs show the same content, Google doesn't know which one to rank. It creates "cannibalization," where your pages compete against each other.

Common causes of duplicates:

1. Parameters: example.com/shoes vs example.com/shoes?color=red
2. Protocol: http://example.com vs https://example.com
3. Subdomains: www.example.com vs example.com
4. Print versions: example.com/article vs example.com/print/article

The Solution: The Canonical Tag ✅

By adding the canonical tag to the "duplicate" pages pointing to the "main" page, you consolidate all the ranking power (link equity) to that single main URL.

Example Scenario

You have an e-commerce store selling a blue shirt.

• Main URL: example.com/products/blue-shirt
• Campaign URL: example.com/products/blue-shirt?utm_source=facebook

On the Campaign URL page, you would place this tag in the header: <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/products/blue-shirt" />

This tells Google: "Even though the user is on the campaign URL, please credit all 'ranking points' to the Main URL."

Are you confusing Google? Missing or incorrect canonical tags can tank your rankings silently. Run a Sitecheck scan to ensure every page on your site has a valid, self-referencing (or pointing) canonical tag.