Post by account_disabled on Mar 7, 2024 6:13:47 GMT
The canonicalization of URLs, and therefore of pages, is an area that often finds misunderstandings in SEO. Initially you understand what it is for (more or less) but then implementing it in practice can create problems. Correct implementation is essential as the negative impact due to technical errors could prove almost fatal to your website's SEO. Relying on too many automations or plugins is often not the best choice, so let's try to delve deeper into the issue. In this article we will see a complete overview of what a canonical tag is, how it works and how to implement it. What is a canonical URL? Let's start from the beginning, first of all, what is a canonical URL? From the official Google documentation we find this definition summarized as follows: A canonical URL is the URL of the page that Google believes is most representative of a set of duplicate pages on your site.
Let's take an example: If we have a page on our site that could be shown Venezuela Phone Number with two different addresses, it is necessary to communicate to Google which URL I consider the main one. We will then see how to insert the tag. Let's say both URLs show the same identical content, this means that they are duplicate pages, well in this case it is necessary to specify that the first URL is canonical, i.e. main. Is the concept clear? A very common mistake that unfortunately happens is not setting the canonical URLs for the www or non- www version of the domain. Remember that if the site is called up by a browser with both the www version and without www , in addition to being a technical problem that must be resolved immediately, for Google they are two different pages, ditto for the http and https URLs.
Please note that if we continue reading Google's guide we find: Please note that the pages do not necessarily have to be identical; Minor changes in the order or filters of list pages do not make the page unique So the pages do not necessarily have to be identical, but even if there are slight changes. But why is Google so fiscal? What does he need the Canonical URL for? We'll get there, don't rush. The last point I want to draw your attention to is this: The canonical page can be on a different domain than the duplicate page. So you understand that it's not just about installing a plugin? Ok let's move on. Are you sure you don't have duplicate content? This question may seem a little strange, but it really isn't! Just because you know you haven't created duplicate pages doesn't mean you don't have any, especially if you're using a CMS. This is mainly a technical discussion and especially in the management of dynamic permalinks (remember that each page is created dynamically in PHP), therefore it can often happen that with different types of URLs the usual pages are shown.
Let's take an example: If we have a page on our site that could be shown Venezuela Phone Number with two different addresses, it is necessary to communicate to Google which URL I consider the main one. We will then see how to insert the tag. Let's say both URLs show the same identical content, this means that they are duplicate pages, well in this case it is necessary to specify that the first URL is canonical, i.e. main. Is the concept clear? A very common mistake that unfortunately happens is not setting the canonical URLs for the www or non- www version of the domain. Remember that if the site is called up by a browser with both the www version and without www , in addition to being a technical problem that must be resolved immediately, for Google they are two different pages, ditto for the http and https URLs.
Please note that if we continue reading Google's guide we find: Please note that the pages do not necessarily have to be identical; Minor changes in the order or filters of list pages do not make the page unique So the pages do not necessarily have to be identical, but even if there are slight changes. But why is Google so fiscal? What does he need the Canonical URL for? We'll get there, don't rush. The last point I want to draw your attention to is this: The canonical page can be on a different domain than the duplicate page. So you understand that it's not just about installing a plugin? Ok let's move on. Are you sure you don't have duplicate content? This question may seem a little strange, but it really isn't! Just because you know you haven't created duplicate pages doesn't mean you don't have any, especially if you're using a CMS. This is mainly a technical discussion and especially in the management of dynamic permalinks (remember that each page is created dynamically in PHP), therefore it can often happen that with different types of URLs the usual pages are shown.