Glossary
Canonical Tag
A canonical tag is an HTML link element that identifies the preferred URL for substantially duplicate pages. Search engines treat it as a strong signal rather than an absolute command, and may choose a different canonical when redirects, internal links, sitemaps and page content conflict.
In plain terms
It tells search engines which version of a repeated page should represent the content.
Why it matters
Incorrect canonicals can move indexing and citation credit away from the URL a brand wants engines to retrieve.
How to apply it
- Use self-referencing canonicals on distinct public pages.
- Align canonicals with redirects and internal links.
- Do not canonicalize genuinely different pages together.
Example
Several tracking URLs point their canonical tags to the clean research-report URL, consolidating signals on one address.
Sources
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Related terms
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