As a website owner or marketer, you're likely familiar with the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) in driving traffic to your website. One crucial aspect of SEO is ensuring that search engines can identify the correct canonical URL for each page on your website.
However, when multiple rel="canonical" tags with different URLs are specified for the same page, search engines can become confused, potentially hurting your page's search engine rankings. In this article, we'll discuss the issue of multiple canonical URLs, its impact on your website's SEO, and how to fix it.
What are Canonical URLs?
Before we dive into the issue of multiple canonical URLs, let's first define what a canonical URL is. A canonical URL is the preferred URL that search engines should use to index a particular page. Canonicalization is the process of selecting the best URL for a page when multiple versions of the same page exist. For instance, a page can be accessed via HTTP or HTTPS, with or without the "www" prefix. In such cases, the canonical URL would be the one that you've specified as the preferred version.
Issue: Multiple Canonical URLs
As previously mentioned, the issue of multiple canonical URLs arises when multiple rel="canonical" tags with different URLs are specified for the same page. This can happen for several reasons.
Causes of Multiple Canonical URLs
Multiple versions of the same page exist due to URL parameters or tracking codes. Different teams or individuals handling different aspects of the website add their own canonical tags, resulting in conflicts. CMS or plugin issues that automatically add canonical tags to pages, sometimes incorrectly.
When multiple canonical URLs exist for a page, search engines can become confused and may fail to identify the correct canonical page.
Impact on SEO
Having multiple canonical URLs for a page can have a detrimental impact on your website's SEO. When search engines encounter conflicting canonical tags, they may choose to ignore all of them or select the wrong one, resulting in incorrect indexing and potentially lower rankings.
Solution: How to Fix Multiple Canonical URLs
To resolve the issue of multiple canonical URLs, you need to remove all but one of the rel="canonical" tags for a given page.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fix Multiple Canonical URLs
The first step is to identify pages with multiple canonical URLs. You can use various tools, such as Google Search Console or Screaming Frog, to identify pages with multiple canonical tags.
Once you've identified pages with multiple canonical URLs, determine the correct canonical URL for each page. This is the URL that you want search engines to use as the preferred version of the page.
Next, remove all duplicate canonical tags for each page, except for the correct canonical URL. You can do this by manually editing the HTML code of each page or using a plugin or CMS that allows you to edit canonical tags.
Finally, test and monitor your website to ensure that the issue of multiple canonical URLs has been resolved. Use tools such as Google Search Console and Ahrefs to monitor your website's indexing and rankings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, having multiple canonical URLs for a page can confuse search engines, resulting in lower search engine rankings and traffic. By limiting the use of rel="canonical" to one tag per page and ensuring that the correct canonical URL is specified, you can improve your website's visibility in search engine results. Regular monitoring and testing can help ensure that your website's SEO remains strong over time.
