1. Use the URL Inspection Tool #
- Check which URL Google considers canonical for your page.
- If Google picks a different canonical than you expect, ask yourself:
- Does Google’s choice make better sense for users?
- Is your preferred canonical really the best version?
- Does Google’s choice make better sense for users?
2. Common Canonicalization Issues & Fixes
a. Language Variants Without hreflang Annotations #
- If you have multiple localized versions (e.g., US, UK, Australia), use hreflang tags to tell Google which version is for which region.
- This helps Google show the right page to users based on language and location.
- Fix: Implement hreflang correctly on all localized pages.
b. Incorrect Canonical Elements #
- Sometimes CMS or plugins set wrong canonical URLs (e.g., pointing to a homepage or external URL).
- Fix:
- Check your HTML <head> for the correct rel=”canonical” tag.
- Use browser dev tools or SEO audit tools to verify.
- Correct or disable broken CMS canonical settings.
- If it’s a plugin bug, contact the plugin or CMS support.
- Check your HTML <head> for the correct rel=”canonical” tag.
c. Server Misconfigurations #
- Your server might serve the same content under different domains or subdomains unintentionally.
- Example: example.com content served on other.example.com without redirects.
- Fix:
- Ensure each domain/subdomain serves unique content or redirects properly.
- Configure your server to serve canonical URLs with consistent domains.
- Talk to your hosting provider if needed.
- Ensure each domain/subdomain serves unique content or redirects properly.
d. Malicious Hacking or Spam Injection #
- Hackers might inject redirects or canonical tags pointing to spammy or malicious sites.
- Fix:
- Scan your site for malware.
- Check for unauthorized redirects or injected canonical tags.
- Clean your site and improve security (change passwords, update software).
- Use Google Search Console’s Security Issues report.
- Scan your site for malware.
e. Syndicated Content #
- If your content is syndicated, don’t rely on rel=canonical for duplicates on partner sites.
- Fix:
- Ask syndication partners to use noindex tags on their copies.
- Block indexing via robots.txt if possible.
- Learn more about syndicated content rules from Google News guidelines.
- Ask syndication partners to use noindex tags on their copies.
f. Copycat Websites #
- If another site is copying your content and outranking you, consider legal action.
- Fix:
- Contact the host to request removal.
- File a DMCA takedown request with Google.
- Use Search Console to monitor where your content appears.
- Contact the host to request removal.
3. Best Practices to Prevent Canonical Issues #
- Consistently link internally to your canonical URLs (avoid linking to duplicates).
- Use absolute URLs in your rel=”canonical” tags.
- Avoid mixing canonical URLs across different methods (sitemap, headers, etc.).
- Use 301 redirects to consolidate duplicate URLs when possible.
- Prefer HTTPS URLs as canonical over HTTP.
- Keep your CMS and plugins updated and configured correctly.