What is a Canonical Tag?

A canonical tag tells search engines which version of a page is the "master" copy when similar content exists at multiple URLs. This prevents duplicate content penalties and consolidates all SEO value to one URL. Common scenarios: www vs non-www, HTTP vs HTTPS, URL parameters, and content syndication.

Generate Your Canonical Tag

The URL where this tag will be placed
The "master" URL that should be indexed
Recommended even when there's no duplicate — it prevents issues from URL parameters

📖 When to Use Canonical Tags

  • URL parameters:
    /products?sort=price → canonical to /products
  • www vs non-www:
    www.site.com/page → canonical to site.com/page
  • HTTP vs HTTPS:
    http://site.com → canonical to https://site.com
  • Trailing slash:
    /about/ vs /about — pick one consistently
  • Mobile versions:
    m.site.com/page → canonical to site.com/page

Enter a URL to generate the canonical tag

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Don't point to a non-existent or redirected URL
  • Don't use relative URLs (always use full absolute URLs)
  • Don't have multiple canonical tags on one page
  • Don't canonical paginated pages to page 1 (each page should self-reference)
  • Don't forget to include the protocol (https://)