Canonical Tag Usage Guide | SEO GEO Checker

Problem

The canonical tag tells search engines which URL is the 'authoritative' version of a page. When the same content is accessible via multiple URLs (with/without www, HTTP/HTTPS, with parameters), missing canonical causes duplicate content issues.

Best Practices

1. Every page should have a canonical tag 2. Use absolute URLs for canonical 3. Self-referencing canonical is recommended 4. Ensure the canonical target returns 200 status

Example: <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/page-url">

Use Cases

- Same content with multiple URL versions - Paginated content pointing to first page - URLs with tracking parameters - HTTP and HTTPS versions coexisting - With/without www versions