Canonical tags are an important part of SEO best practice. Essentially, they allow webmasters to avoid the issue of duplicate content. But what are they, and how are they used? Here we explore the implications of duplicate content, the benefits of canonical tags, and explain how to use them correctly for SEO.
What are Canonical Tags and What are they Used for?
A canonical tag is an HTML tag in the source code of a web page. When similar or identical content is accessible through multiple URLs, you can add a tag to specify which page should be the main version or the “master copy.” This will tell Google which page should be indexed and ranked, and help you avoid duplicate content issues going forward. Most content management systems have these tags built in, or allow you to add them automatically with plugins. All you have to do is choose the right page to canonicalize! Ideally, this should be the URL Philippines Photo Editor that you want to rank the highest on Google, or the one that receives the most visitors and conversions.
What are the Implications of Duplicate Content?
To understand how canonical tags can improve SEO, it’s important to understand the implications of duplicate content and why it is important to avoid it. Internal content duplication, whether intentional or not, can be harmful for SEO.
Unique Content Gets Lost
Too much duplicated content on your website can cause your most important unique content to get lost. When you have multiple URLs that lead to the same page, Google will automatically choose one page to index over the others, and this may not be the page that you want to rank on the SERPs. As a result, your more important pages may lose rankings and clicks.
User Experience can be Harmed
Not only does duplicate content confuse Google, it also confuses your audience. If duplicate versions of a website URL show up on in Google results, users won’t know which version to click on, and may end up ignoring both. Additionally, when similar or identical content appears on multiple pages, the content loses its value, and this could harm your conversion rates. It’s important to ensure that your unique content stands out on SERPs, as this will have a positive impact on the user experience.