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Missing Canonical Tag: How to Fix It
A canonical tag tells search engines which URL is the main version of a page. It matters when the same content is reachable at several addresses, such as with or without www, tracking parameters, or sorting options.
Quick fix: Add <link rel="canonical" href="https://yoursite.com/page"> pointing to the preferred URL of this page to prevent duplicate content.
Why it matters for SEO
Without it, Google may split ranking signals across duplicate URLs or index the wrong version.
How to fix it
- 1Add <link rel="canonical" href="..."> inside <head>.
- 2Use the full absolute URL of the preferred version, including https://.
- 3Point each page to itself unless it is a true duplicate of another page.
- 4Make sure the canonical URL returns 200 and is not blocked by robots.txt.
Example
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/used-bikes/honda-cg-125">Free tools to fix it
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a canonical tag on every page?
It is best practice. A self-referencing canonical protects against duplicates created by parameters and tracking links.
Is a canonical the same as a redirect?
No. A redirect sends visitors to another URL, while a canonical is a hint only for search engines.
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