Canonical Tag
Canonical tag is an HTML element used to specify the preferred version of a web page among multiple versions with similar content. This tag helps search engines understand which page should be indexed and displayed in search results, avoiding duplicate content issues.
When multiple URLs have identical or very similar content, search engines may have difficulty determining which version to rank. By adding a canonical tag to the preferred URL, webmasters can indicate the original source of the content and consolidate link equity to improve search engine rankings.
The canonical tag is placed in the
section of the HTML code and looks like this:
<link rel=“canonical“ href=“https://www.example.com/preferred-page/“ />
Here, the href attribute specifies the canonical URL of the preferred page.
It is important to use the canonical tag correctly to avoid confusion and ensure that search engines understand the relationship between different versions of a page. Failure to implement canonical tags properly can result in lower search engine rankings and traffic.
For more information, you can visit the Wikipedia page on Canonical Link Element.