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Canonical URL Checker

Find and validate canonical tags in your HTML. Detect conflicts, missing canonicals, self-referencing issues & cross-domain references.

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💡 What is Canonical?

Preventing Duplicate Content

  • A canonical tag tells search engines which version of a page is the "master" copy.
  • Prevents duplicate content penalties when similar pages exist.
  • Consolidates link equity to a single URL.
  • Should be present on every indexable page.
📖 Common Issues

What Can Go Wrong

  • Missing canonical: No signal for search engines on preferred URL.
  • Non-self-referencing: Points to a different URL — is that intentional?
  • Multiple canonicals: Conflicting signals — only one allowed.
  • Canonical + noindex: Contradictory — pick one approach.
đŸŽ¯ Best Practices

Implementation Tips

  • Every page should have a self-referencing canonical by default.
  • Use absolute URLs, not relative paths.
  • Canonical should point to the HTTPS, preferred-domain version.
  • Don't canonicalize paginated pages to page 1.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should every page have a canonical tag?▾
Yes. Every indexable page should have a self-referencing canonical tag. This prevents issues with URL parameters, trailing slashes, and HTTP/HTTPS variations from creating duplicate content.
Can I canonical to a different domain?▾
Yes, cross-domain canonicals are supported. They tell search engines that the content originally lives on another domain. This is useful for syndicated content or when you've moved content between domains.

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