Search and AI
Canonical URL
A canonical URL is the one address you tell search engines to use when the same page can be reached at several addresses.
Stores often show one product at several addresses, for example with a color or tracking tags added. You add a rel="canonical" tag in the page's head that points to the main address. Google treats it as a hint, not an order.
Without it, search engines may pick the wrong copy. Most site builders add canonical tags for you. Check one page with the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console and make sure the address Google chose is yours. It belongs on your technical SEO checklist, next to indexing.
Go deeper
- Technical SEO checklist for a new websiteRun the technical SEO checks that matter for a new website in one afternoon: turn off every setting that hides it, check Google sees your words, one secure address, your sitemap in Google and Bing and a free crawl with 0 errors, then test each new page the day you publish it and the whole site every Sunday.
- How to do SEO for a Shopify storeD2CDo SEO for your Shopify store with a few products and no budget: check Google can see your store, give every product and collection page one phrase shoppers type, publish 1 buying-question page a day on your Shopify blog, ask 20 sites a day for a link, and check Search Console every Sunday.
What links here
Sources
- How to specify a canonical URL, Google Search Central, checked 24 September 2026
Last checked 24 September 2026.