Canonical tags are an essential tool in SEO, as they help to improve the visibility of content on search engine results pages (SERPs). In simple terms, they tell search engines which version of a page is the canonical or preferred version. By designating a canonical tag, webmasters can ensure that the most relevant and robust content is presented to users when they search for a topic or phrase.
A canonical tag is a piece of HTML code that is included in the head section of a web page. This code defines the canonical or primary version of the page, which is the version that is to be indexed or recognized by search engines. It is worth noting that the canonical tag does not replace the URL – it only informs search engines which version of a web page should be indexed and presented in the SERPs.
The canonical tag can be used to avoid duplicate content issues and optimize URL structures, by enabling webmasters to consolidate multiple versions of a page into a single “preferred” version. This is beneficial for sites which have multiple pages with the same or highly similar content. A canonical tag can be used to indicate which page is the preferred page and should be indexed.
Canonical tags are also useful for sites which have pages that feature parameters or session IDs. For example, a page might include parameters and a session ID which do not change the page’s content but yet can be indexed and can lead to duplicate content issues. By implementing a canonical tag, the webmaster can indicate which version of the page should be indexed.
Canonical tags are an important tool in SEO, as they streamline the indexation process and raise content visibility by facilitating search engine crawlers. By utilizing canonical tags, webmasters can help ensure that only the best, most relevant content is ranked and presented in SERPs.