The canonical tag and its importance play an very important role in HTML code used to indicate the preferred or canonical version of a webpage among multiple versions that may exist. This is important in situations where multiple versions of a webpage with identical or similar content exist, such as when a webpage can be accessed with or without the “www” prefix in the URL, or when a webpage has multiple versions in different language

Importance of the canonical tag for SEO

The canonical tag is an important tool for SEO because it helps search engines understand which version of a webpage should be indexed and displayed in search results.

1. Identifies duplicate content: When a search engine crawls a website, it may encounter multiple versions of the same webpage, such as pages with different URLs or pages with different languages. This can create duplicate content issues, which can negatively impact SEO.
2. Determines preferred version: By using the canonical tag, website owners can indicate which version of a webpage should be considered the preferred version. This can help to avoid duplicate content issues and ensure that the preferred version of the page is the one that is indexed and displayed in search results.
3. Consolidates ranking signals: When multiple versions of a webpage exist, the ranking signals (such as backlinks and social shares) may be spread across those versions, which can dilute the overall ranking power of the page. By using the canonical tag, website owners can consolidate those ranking signals onto the preferred version of the page, which can help to improve its search engine rankings.
4. Improves User Experience: The canonical tag can help to ensure that users are directed to the preferred version of a webpage, which can improve the user experience and reduce confusion.
5. Facilitates Crawl Efficiency: The canonical tag helps search engines to efficiently crawl and index the preferred version of a webpage, which can save crawl budget and improve indexing speed.
6. Supports International SEO: The canonical tag can be used to indicate the preferred version of a webpage in different languages, which can improve international SEO.
7. Helps with Site Restructuring: When a website undergoes restructuring, the canonical tag can be used to redirect traffic to the new pages and consolidate ranking signals onto the new pages.

Conclusion

Understanding canonical tag and its importance is essential for anyone who wants to optimize their website’s search engine ranking and improve their online visibility. The canonical tag is an important tool for managing duplicate content on your website and ensuring that search engines index the correct version of your pages.

Hope you enjoyed reading and learning.