Canonical Tag - A brief Description

Canonical Tag : - A canonical tag is a Meta tag that you can use to specify what URL a search engine should use for your page.

Why should you use it?

The rel=canonical isn't a real Meta tag but it is more a html description. By adding the rel=canonical tag you inform the spiders which page is the main page if you have double content.

Here are some variations of the home page URL.

http://www.onlinebusinessindia.com/

http://www.onlinebusinessindia/index.html

http://onlinebusinessindia.com/

http://onlinebusinessindia.com

The canonical tag for each page will be different, how you wish to specify the standard version of a page URL. According to the specification set by the search engines, the canonical tag can use an absolute or a relative URL path in the tag.

Absolute path looks like this:

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.onlinebusinessindia.com/xyz.html

Or

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.onlinebusinessindia.com/page.php?page_id=66" />

A relative path looks like this:

<link rel="canonical" href="/ SEO /" />

Or

<link rel="canonical" href=" page.php?page_id=66" />

The canonical tag for each page should be added somewhere between the head tags on your website page and the link in the tag should be to your preferred version of the page.

Why are duplicate URLs bad for SEO?

It’s duplicate content. Imagine if you moved and didn’t forward your address with the post office. USPS would be quite pissed off that they now have two addresses for you. The same goes for Google. They want a single URL for each page. If you don’t give it to them, Google’s spiders could easily index many of these “tracking URLs” for the single web page. As a result, your diverting your “Page Rank” and “link juice” for this single page amongst many URLs, and your page won’t rank as high as it could in Google’s search results.

Read here What Google say about Specify you’re canonical

What yahoo say about canonical Tag

Classic Canonical Tag Errors

1. Missing forward slash following the domain name resulting in the pages of a site referring to OpenDNS – OUCH! (for example http://www.mysite.comcategory/product.htm)

2. Canonical reference to the home page from a category page – WHY?

3. Category pages referencing Sub-Category pages – NOT GOOD!

Three Definite Canonical ‘Do Nots’ to Remember

1.       1- Do not link rel=”canonical” to other domains (with the possible exception of sub domains)

2.       2- Do not use relative URLs

3.       3- Do not link rel=”canonical” to a broken page
Read more about Bad canonical tag use will cause SEO havoc

Mrigendra Sharma - a well organized authentic experienced SEO/SEM/SMO/PPC including according to present scenario. who is present in Delhi the capital of India.