What is Canonical Tag

The canonical tag, also known as the rel="canonical" tag, is an HTML element that helps webmasters prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred version of a web page. When multiple pages have similar or identical content, search engines may struggle to determine which version to index and rank. The canonical tag provides a solution by indicating the "canonical" or "master" version of the page.

Using the canonical tag is essential for SEO because it consolidates the ranking signals for duplicate pages, ensuring that the preferred version receives the credit it deserves. This can improve the visibility of the canonical page in search engine results and enhance the overall user experience.

To implement a canonical tag, you simply add the following line of code in the

section of your HTML:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/preferred-page/">

Replace "https://www.example.com/preferred-page/" with the URL of the canonical page. It's important to ensure that the canonical URL is correct and points to the intended page.

In summary, the canonical tag is a powerful tool in SEO that helps manage duplicate content and ensures that search engines understand which version of a page should be prioritized in search results.