What is canonical tag?

 What is canonical tag?

 

A canonical tag, also known as a rel =canonical tag, is an HTML element used to indicate the preferred or canonical version of a web page when multiple versions with similar content exist. It is primarily used to address duplicate content issues and help search engines understand which version of a page should be considered authoritative or the original source.

When multiple URLs have identical or very similar content, search engines may have difficulty determining which version to include or prioritize in their search results. This can lead to potential problems such as diluted search rankings or penalties for duplicate content. The canonical tag helps to resolve this by specifying the preferred version of the page.

canonical tag

The canonical tag is added to the HTML head section of a web page and typically looks like this:

html

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<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/original-page">

 

In this example, the href attribute points to the URL of the canonical or preferred version of the page. By specifying the canonical URL, the tag signals to search engines that this particular version should be treated as the authoritative source for indexing and ranking purposes.

When search engines encounter a canonical tag, they will consolidate the ranking signals of the duplicate pages and attribute them to the specified canonical URL. This helps to prevent duplicate content issues and ensures that the desired version of the page appears in search results.

It's important to note that the canonical tag is not a directive to search engines to exclude or remove the duplicate pages from indexing. Instead, it guides search engines to understand the relationship between different versions of a page and consolidate their ranking signals.

Using canonical tags correctly can be beneficial for SEO, as it helps search engines understand your content and prevents issues caused by duplicate or similar content across multiple URLs.

What is canonical tag in html?

The canonical tag in HTML is a tool used to specify the preferred version of a web page when there are duplicates or multiple versions. It helps search engines identify the primary version for indexing and ranking purposes, avoiding issues related to duplicate content.

What type of tag in SEO?

 

In SEO (Search Engine Optimization), there are various types of tags that are used to optimize web pages for search engines. Here are some important tags in SEO:

Title Tags: These are HTML tags that define the title of a web page. They appear as the clickable headline in search engine results pages (SERPs) and are crucial for SEO. Title tags should be unique, descriptive, and contain relevant keywords.

Meta Description Tags: These tags provide a brief summary of the content on a web page. While they don't directly impact search rankings, they influence click-through rates from SERPs. Meta descriptions should be compelling, concise, and include relevant keywords.

Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.): These tags define the headings and subheadings within the content of a web page. They help structure the page and provide hierarchical information to search engines. Properly using heading tags can improve both user experience and SEO.

Image Alt Tags: Alt tags are used to describe images on a web page. Since search engines cannot "see" images, alt tags help provide context and improve accessibility. Including relevant keywords in alt tags can also contribute to SEO.

Canonical Tags: These tags specify the preferred version of a web page when multiple versions exist. Canonical tags help consolidate duplicate content issues and prevent search engines from indexing or penalizing the wrong version.

Meta Robots Tags: These tags provide instructions to search engine crawlers about how to treat a web page. Common values include "index" (to allow indexing), "no index" (to prevent indexing), "follow" (to follow links on the page), and "no follow" (to prevent following links).

Rel=Canonical Tags: This tag is used to specify the canonical URL of a web page within the HTML code. It helps resolve issues related to duplicate content and informs search engines which version of the page should be considered the original.