The 3 most common mistakes listed here are easy to correct and won’t cost your website’s search engine rankings. Don’t make these mistakes: Read the full post here and make sure you’re using the proper code.
1. Avoid Specifying a Rel=Canonical From Landing or Category Pages to Featured Articles
To use the rel=canonical attribute on your web pages, include it in the HTTP header of the page. Multiple rel=canonical tags on the same page will not be considered canonical. The only exception is if the canonical tag is part of a URL that does not have duplicate content, such as an article landing page. In such cases, the rel=canonical tag is ignored by Google.
Using the canonical tag on category and landing pages can also benefit the search engine ranking. Google likes sites that have a unified navigation structure. The use of the canonical tag can narrow the focus on search engines while improving user experience. Here’s how to use it effectively. The canonical tag should not be included in URLs that point to non-SEO pages.
Using URL canonicalization is a must when linking to other websites. It prevents confusion and search engine penalties. Canonicalization allows you to tell search engines which URLs have identical or highly similar content. Using a canonical in your HTML code is the best way to avoid this problem.
2. Avoid Specifying Absolute URLs in Canonicals
While you may think that relative URLs are okay for your site, they can actually cause duplicate content. Search engines often see relative URLs as duplicate pages. That’s why using an absolute URL is better than using relative ones. And if you’re using a CDN, you may want to consider using the canonical tag. Canonical URLs will help search engines identify different versions of the same page.
Although they’re easy to implement, relative links are less unique. A relative link, for example, could be anywhere. Even if the URL is relative to the domain, it’s ambiguous. A street address is an example of this. Google may consider it a page if it is located somewhere different than the address on the street. So while relative links can be effective, they’re not the ideal choice for SEO.
A good canonical URL should point to the page that it resides on. In addition to mitigating the risk of search engines seeing the wrong version, they are also easier to debug. Using relative URLs is easier to test, but you should make sure that you point to the page you want to rank for by using an absolute one. If you’re using canonicals for your site, you will be able to track your campaigns much easier.
3. Avoid Putting a Canonical Tag on Your Homepage
Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft have all created canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues. This simple tool tells search engines what page on a site is the main version. Without it, your site could disappear from the search results altogether. However, when done correctly, this tool can increase the visibility of your site and boost your SEO. It is important to understand the benefits of canonical tags before implementing them on your website.
One of the biggest problems with homepage duplicates is the risk of having multiple versions of the same content. This is because people can link to your homepage in many ways. When this happens, you have to put a canonical tag on your homepage to avoid such unforeseen problems. Another problem with canonicalizing two pages is that it sends mixed signals to search engines. If your homepage is linked to many different URLs, it may be difficult for them to decide which one to list in the search results.
If you have multiple URLs for the same page, it may be time to remove the duplicates. The duplicate pages take the link equity of the main version and will hurt your overall ranking. Adding canonical tags will allow Google to transfer PageRank from the different URLs into the main page and improve your overall ranking in Google search. A canonical tag tells Google which website is the original source of content. Many website owners use other websites to publish content.
Tip: You can use the canonical checker by Sitechecker to track canonical versions of your website pages. This tool will help you avoid duplicate content in search engine optimization.
