Canonical tags are HTML elements that help webmasters prevent duplicate content issues in search engine optimization by specifying the "canonical" or "preferred" version of a web page. They are used to tell search engines which version of a page to index, consolidate link equity (ranking strength), and show in search results. Canonical tags are important in SEO because duplicate content can make it harder for search engines to choose which version of a page to index.
Here are some key points about canonical tags:
- A canonical tag is a snippet of HTML code that defines the main version for duplicate, near-duplicate, and similar pages.
- Canonical tags use simple and consistent syntax and are placed within the <head> section of a web page.
- Canonical tags can be self-referential, meaning its okay if a canonical tag points to the current URL.
- Canonical tags are not a directive but rather a signal for search engines, and they may choose a different canonical to the one you declare.
- Canonical tags can be implemented either in the semantic HTML <head> or sent with the HTTP header of a document.
- Canonical tags are not considered to be a directive, but rather a hint that the ranking algorithm will "honor strongly".
- While the canonical link element has its benefits, Google prefers the use of 301 redirects because Googles spiders can choose to ignore a canonical link element if they deem it more beneficial to do so.
In summary, canonical tags are HTML elements that help webmasters prevent duplicate content issues in search engine optimization by specifying the "canonical" or "preferred" version of a web page. They are important in SEO because they tell search engines which version of a page to index, consolidate link equity, and show in search results. Canonical tags use simple and consistent syntax and can be implemented either in the semantic HTML <head> or sent with the HTTP header of a document.
