A Guide to Using Self-Referential Canonicals Tags

1. A Guide to Using Self A Guide to Using Self- -Referential Canonicals Tags Referential Canonicals Tags To understand the use of self-referential canonical tags, one first would have to comprehend the concept of canonicalization and why it originated in the first place. The use of self- referential canonical tags is rampant in websites with lots of content, for instance, ecommerce websites. It optimizes the website for favorable SEO results. What is the significance of canonical tags? Why use self-referential canonical tags? How does it benefit a website? We will discuss all of that and more in this blog.

2. Wha What is meant by a canonical tag? t is meant by a canonical tag? Canonical tags, also known as rel=“canonical” is an HTML code extract that separates the main or the master page from similar pages or duplicate versions. Using these eliminates the problem of duplicate content getting indexed via multiple URLs. If you have similar and related content on multiple pages that carry of risk of getting tagged as duplicate, then you use the canonical tag to inform the search engine which URL is the master page that you would want to be indexed. Any professional worth their mettle from a reputed SEO agency should be acquainted with the practices related to canonical tags; which we will discuss in the latter half of this blog. How is Canonicalization Related to SEO? How is Canonicalization Related to SEO? You might think that you do not have duplicate content on your website; then why is Google begging to differ. Duplicate for us humans, and a search engine is different. While we think of each page as a concept that we want to share on our website, search engines regard only URLs, each of which should lead to a unique page. Let’s give you an example: https://www.abc.org http://abc.org/index.php Both of the URLs lead to the same page, and that is quite understandable from a human perspective. But to Google or any other search engine crawler each represents a unique page,

3. hence it is expected that the content would be different. If both pages are indexed separately, that’s the crawler will deem the content duplicate and it will reflect poorly on your SEO results.. Now, we all know that search engines, especially Google hates duplicate content. It creates confusion for the crawler regarding page indexing, page ranking, and consolidation of link equity; whether it should be on a single page or divided between more pages. Not addressing the issue of “multiple URLs leading to the same page” can confuse the crawler into indexing the same page over and over again instead of focusing on the other important pages. Hence, the use of canonical tags! Once a URL is canonicalized, Google will understand which page it needs to index and rank, consolidating the link equity. What are the Best Practices to Counter Misuse of Canonical Tags? What are the Best Practices to Counter Misuse of Canonical Tags? It is easy to incorporate canonical tags into a website. Here is a rundown of the best practices that would boost your SEO results. •Self Self- -referential canonical tags referential canonical tags: This is your best bet against canonical mistakes. Even Google’s John Mueller highly recommends self-referential canonical tags. What is it? It is a canonical tag on a web page pointing to itself. It prevents any confusion that may arise for the crawler and practically defines which page needs indexing.

4. •Absolute URLs Absolute URLs: When using a canonical tag, ensure to use a complete URL and not just a part of it. Many commit this mistake. Remember that Mueller recommends this as well. •Correct domain version Correct domain version: Either it is HTTP:// or it is HTTPS://. The SSL on your master page and the canonical tag for similar pages should remain the same. •Use of lowercase Use of lowercase: If your main URL has lower case letters then don’t use upper case when putting the canonical tag. Your server should be compatible with lower case URLs. •One canonical in one page One canonical in one page: Don’t go berserk with canonicalization. One tag per page does the job. •Homepage canonicalization Homepage canonicalization: You don’t want your homepage to face issues with duplicity. Hence, you should put a canonical tag on the homepage for indexing. A lot of technical stuff right?! Don’t worry; your SEO agency can help you with the digital marketing semantics. But is all canonical useful and necessary? Can the SEO professional go wrong with its use? Let’s find out in the next answer. What is Misuse of Canonical Tags by CMS? What is Misuse of Canonical Tags by CMS?

5. Not all content management systems are pro-SEO. Some do the mistake of canonicalizing similar URLs to the main page or the home page, but that can create a problem. It happens in cases of pagination for websites with massive amounts of content. For instance, ecommerce websites use pagination to display and present all products in an organized manner. The CMS might end up treating those pages as duplicates, canonicalizing all to the main page. If all tags point to a single page then Google would ultimately strip all the other pages of its links and content, causing a major index failure. The pages will not appear in the SERPs because Google will only regard the first page. So, what is the solution? For favourable favourable SEO SEO results results, one has to use self-referential canonical tags on each page for proper indexing. Nevertheless, not all pages require self-referential canonical tags. So how do you know where to put and where to not? How can you track the page performance after implementation? How to Use Self How to Use Self- -Referential Canonical Tags? Referential Canonical Tags? Talk to your SEO agency first. There are SEO crawlers online that help in tracking the canonicalization and use of self-referential canonical tags. 1.The SEO crawler needs installation to the system. 2.After the installation, use it to crawl the entire site.

6. 3.The crawler will detect and determine all canonical tags. 4.It will help you interpret the tags, and point to the main pages they link to. 5.You can detect the number of self-referential tags used amongst the lot. 6.With the list of URLs at your disposal, it should be fairly easy to find the tags that need refining. 7.Accordingly, you can use the SEO crawler to implement the changes in canonical tags. Following this process will bring noticeable changes in the SEO results.. Try it yourself or consult with your SEO agency to check the presence of duplicate pages countering the same with self-referential canonical tags. Put the nest SEO practices to use for optimum results.