Question 1

What is a canonical tag?

Accepted Answer

A canonical tag (rel='canonical') tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred one. It helps prevent duplicate content issues when similar or identical content exists at multiple URLs.

Question 2

Do all pages need canonical tags?

Accepted Answer

It is best practice to include a self-referencing canonical on every page. This clearly tells search engines which URL is the preferred version, even when no duplicates exist.

Question 3

Should canonical point to itself?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in most cases. A self-referencing canonical is the standard setup. It explicitly tells Google that this URL is the canonical version. Only point to a different URL if you intentionally want to consolidate pages.

Question 4

Can canonical tags affect SEO?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Canonical tags affect how Google handles duplicate content, which URL gets indexed, and how ranking signals are consolidated. Incorrect canonical tags can prevent pages from being indexed.

Question 5

What if multiple canonical tags exist?

Accepted Answer

Only one canonical tag should exist per page. Multiple tags create confusion and Google may ignore them entirely. Check your template code for duplicate injections.

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