Canonical URLWhat it means for you.

The preferred address for a page that can be reached through several URLs.

Growth Score · Acquisition

Definition

What it means

A canonical tag tells search engines which version of a page to treat as the main one.

It prevents the same content on several addresses, such as with tracking parameters, from splitting its ranking signals. The tag is a strong hint, but search engines can choose a different address.

In Growth Score

Part of your score

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Checks that read it on your site

URL structure checkerReads your whole list of addresses and finds the patterns: capitals that split a page in two, dates that make it stale, and the same page living at two URLs.Sitemap.xml checkerReads the list you hand search and finds what is wrong with it: http addresses, pages listed twice, carts and tag archives, and dates that are all the build time.

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Guides that cover it

Get pages found in searchSix checks in the order search meets them, from robots.txt through to indexing.Search for a new siteWhat moves a new domain, in what order, and what to skip so early effort is not wasted.Your first 100 customersFour zero-spend channels, run one at a time, each read in two weeks.

Acquisition

More in Acquisition

FAQ

Quick answers

What is Canonical URL?

The preferred address for a page that can be reached through several URLs.

Where does it sit in Growth Score?

It belongs to the Acquisition pillar, one of the 12 pillars your score is built from.

What should I read next?

Start with Duplicate content and Indexability, then browse the other terms in Acquisition.

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