Canonical tags · redirects · free
Canonical checker
Enter a page and see which address Google is likely to index: where the redirects lead, what canonical tag the page declares, and whether that canonical actually works.
What is a canonical tag?
The same page is often reachable at several addresses: with tracking parameters, with and without a trailing slash, over http and https. A canonical tag names the one you want in search results, so the others count towards it instead of competing with it.
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/shoes">In the page's <head>, with the full address, https included.
What the checker looks at
- The path. Every redirect from the address you enter to the page that answers.
- The canonical. Whether the page declares one, and whether it names the page itself or another address.
- The target. Whether that other address answers 200, or redirects or fails, which makes Google ignore the tag.
- The other addresses. Whether http and the www or bare host redirect to the one you use, or serve a copy.
- What overrides it. A noindex in the robots meta tag or the X-Robots-Tag header, which removes the page whatever the canonical says.
- hreflang. Language alternates written as full addresses, the only form Google reads.
Search Console says…
Three statuses in the Page indexing report come down to canonicals. What each one means, and whether to do anything:
“Duplicate without user-selected canonical”
Sometimes. It depends on which pages are listed.
“Alternate page with proper canonical tag”
Usually not. This status means your canonical tags work.
“Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user”
Often. Google and your site disagree about which page is the original.
Questions about canonical tags
What is a canonical tag?
A line in the page's head, <link rel="canonical" href="...">, that names the one address you want in search results when the same content is reachable at several. Google treats it as a strong hint, not an order: redirects, internal links and the sitemap also count.
How do I add a canonical tag?
Put <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page"> in the head of the page, with the full address including https. WordPress SEO plugins such as Yoast and Rank Math add a self-referencing one to every page, and Shopify does the same for products and collections, so on those the job is mostly to check it points where you think.
Should every page have a self-referencing canonical?
Yes, as a rule. It costs nothing and it stops tracking parameters, sort orders and trailing slashes from turning into separate pages in the index. Point a canonical elsewhere only when the page really is a copy of another.
Can the canonical point to another domain?
Yes, when the same article is republished on two sites and one should get the credit. Done by accident, usually by copying a template from a staging site, it hands the page's place in search to the other domain.
Why does Google ignore my canonical?
Because other signals disagree with it: the canonical target redirects, answers an error or says noindex, internal links and the sitemap point at a different address, or the two pages are not actually the same. The checker above shows the first of these; the Search Console guides below cover the rest.