Ever wondered why your website isn’t showing up in search results the way it should? You may be facing canonicalization issues! Don’t worry—it’s not as scary as it sounds. Canonicalization simply refers to telling search engines which version of a page is the “main” one.
Let’s say you have a product page that can be accessed in different ways:
- example.com/product
- www.example.com/product
- example.com/product?ref=ad1
Search engines might think these are different pages, even though they’re the same. That’s where canonical tags come to the rescue!
But when used improperly, canonical tags can actually hurt your SEO. Here are some common issues caused by bad canonicalization:
Table of Contents
1. Duplicate Content
This is the biggest issue. If several URLs show the same content, Google may not know which one to rank. Your pages compete against each other!
You should always use a canonical tag to point to the preferred URL.
For example:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/product">
Place this in the head of every duplicate page to tell Google, “Hey, this is the one!”
2. Canonicalizing to the Wrong Page
This happens more often than you’d think. Folks sometimes point all pages to the home page, or a totally unrelated page.
That tells search engines to ignore the actual content and focus on something else. Not good!
Make sure your canonical tag leads to a relevant, matching page.
3. Mixing Canonical Tags with Noindex
This one’s confusing. But think of it like this:
- Canonical says, “This is the main version, rank it!”
- Noindex says, “Don’t show this in search results.”
So what happens when one page says both? Google gets mixed signals. It might decide not to index either page.
Best practice? Don’t use noindex on pages you’re linking to with a canonical tag.
4. Forgetting About Pagination
Got a blog or product list spread over multiple pages?
If you canonicalize every page in the series to page one, you’re basically telling search engines to ignore the rest. That can hide valuable content.
The better approach is to let each page canonically refer to itself and use rel="prev" and rel="next" tags to indicate the sequence.
5. Inconsistent HTTP vs HTTPS
Using both http:// and https:// can make Google think you have twins running around the web!
Canonical tags should always point to the correct protocol—usually HTTPS, since it’s more secure.
Pick one version and stick with it.
6. Wrong Placement of Canonical Tags
These tags belong inside the <head> element of your HTML.
If you drop them into the <body>, or worse, forget them entirely, search engines might miss them.
And no tag means search engines make the decision for you. Yikes!
7. Dynamic URLs Without Canonicalization
Sites with filters or sorting options often create endless versions of the same page.
Like:
- example.com/shoes?color=blue
- example.com/shoes?price=low
To search engines, those are brand new pages. If you don’t canonicalize them, you’ll dilute your ranking power.
Always point to the clean version of the URL with your canonical tag.
Good canonicalization = better SEO.
It keeps your pages focused, avoids duplicate content, and puts your best foot forward for search engines.
Run regular SEO audits to catch mistakes early.
If you’re using a CMS like WordPress or Shopify, many SEO plugins can help manage canonicals automatically. But always double-check!
So, remember: In the confusing world of web pages, canonicalization is like a name tag at a party. It helps Google know who’s who—and who deserves the spotlight!