Fix-it guide

Add a canonical URL

A canonical URL is a single line of HTML in the <head> that tells Google "this is the official version of this page.

High impact~5 minutesMetadata & tags

What it is

A canonical URL is a single line of HTML in the <head> that tells Google "this is the official version of this page." It is how you handle the fact that the same content can be reached through multiple URLs, with or without `www`, with a trailing slash, or with tracking parameters like `?utm_source=...`.

Why it matters

Without a canonical, Google may treat each URL variant as a separate page and split your backlinks and ranking authority between them. A well-placed canonical tag consolidates all that authority onto one URL, instantly compounding the ranking power you have already earned.

How to fix it

  1. Decide on the canonical URL format

    Pick one variant per page: https vs http, www vs no-www, trailing slash vs no-slash. Whatever you choose, be consistent across the site. Most sites use https + no-www, no trailing slash on inner pages.

  2. Add the canonical link tag inside <head>

    Use the absolute URL (full https://... path). The canonical should point to the page itself, even self-referencing canonicals are valuable.

    <head>
  <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/services/car-service" />
</head>

  3. For paginated or filtered pages, point to the main page

    If you have ?page=2 or ?sort=price, the canonical should point at the primary URL (no query string), unless the variant is genuinely a different page worth indexing.

  4. Next.js: use the alternates.canonical field

    In the App Router Metadata API, set `alternates: { canonical: "..." }` on each page or layout.

    export const metadata: Metadata = {
  alternates: {
    canonical: 'https://example.com/services/car-service',
  },
};

How to verify the fix

View Page Source and look for `<link rel="canonical" href="...">`. Then in Google Search Console > URL Inspection, paste the URL, the "User-declared canonical" field should match what you set, and ideally the "Google-selected canonical" matches too.

Further reading

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