What is a Canonical Tag?
A canonical tag, also known as a “rel canonical” tag or a “canonical link element”, is an HTML element that helps webmasters prevent duplicate content issues. It is a way of telling search engines which version of a web page to index, helping to avoid confusion and improve SEO rankings.
Why is a Canonical Tag Important?
Duplicate content can be an issue when it comes to SEO as it can cause confusion for search engine crawlers, leading to a decreased ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). A canonical tag helps inform search engines which version of a web page is the original and should be indexed. This helps to avoid any confusion and improve overall SEO rankings.
How to Use a Canonical Tag
When creating a canonical tag, it should be inserted into the HTML code of the page that you want to be the original. The code should look like this: The “href” attribute should be set to the URL of the original page.
Examples of Canonical Tag Usage
- If you have two versions of the same page, for example a print version and a web version, you can use a canonical tag to indicate which one is the original.
- If you have several pages with similar content, you can use a canonical tag to direct search engines to the original page.
- If you have multiple domains for the same website, you can use a canonical tag to indicate which one should be indexed.
Conclusion
A canonical tag is an important part of any website’s SEO strategy, as it helps to avoid confusion and improve rankings. It is important to understand how to use a canonical tag correctly in order to get the most out of your SEO efforts. For more information, please see the following resources: