Canonicalization
Canonicalization is the process of converting data that has more than one possible representation into a standard, normal, or canonical form. This is particularly important in fields such as computer science, where data can be represented in various formats or encodings.
One common example of canonicalization is in web development, where URLs can have different variations that all point to the same content. For example, the following URLs all refer to the same page:
- example.com/page
- www.example.com/page
- https://example.com/page
By implementing canonicalization, web developers can ensure that search engines understand which URL is the preferred version, helping to improve search engine rankings and prevent duplicate content issues.
Overall, canonicalization helps to standardize data and prevent inconsistencies, making it easier to manage and analyze information across different systems and platforms.
For more information about canonicalization, you can visit Wikipedia.