Canonical URLs are essential for optimizing a website, especially when there are duplicate content or keyword cannibalization issues. Basically, a canonical URL is the main version of duplicated content. It’s a tag added so that Google knows which content to index and not the other.
Canonical URL tags allow Google to differentiate between two pieces of duplicate content.
The tag is necessary because Google cannot decide on its own which of the two pieces of content to rank, and it also cannot show repeated results on its results page. This means that when it finds this type of content, it doesn’t rank either one.
These tags are HTML snippets that are placed in the head section of the duplicate article and point to the one you want to rank as follows: rel=”canonical”. An example would be:
“<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://cuernosoft.com/” />”
Although tagging just one of the two pages is enough for Google to know which is the canonical URL, it’s a good idea to also add the canonical tag to the page you want to rank, pointing to its own URL, as this reinforces the instructions.
Is it important to have the canonical tag?
In fact, John Mueller, Google’s SEO specialist, has confirmed that while it’s not essential, it is important to have the canonical tag on the page you want to rank, as it makes it easier to choose which of the two pages is correct.
As explained above, canonical URLs are very valuable tools for solving duplicate content or SEO cannibalization problems, as they allow you to differentiate and show Google where the content you want to rank is located.
These tags also help Google correctly understand the structure of your website and distribute link authority, which optimizes your content’s search engine ranking—resulting in more clicks, more interaction, and more conversions.
