How to Solve Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag Issues in Simple Steps

Posted on

A website typically consists of two pages, and when indexing, Google uses a tag called the canonical tag to identify which page is the primary one and which is not. The page that is not the primary page is referred to as the “canonical” version of the website. This tag allows you to specify which URL should be displayed in search results. By using this piece of HTML code, you can benefit from link equity from duplicate pages and improve the crawling and indexing of your preferred website.

This concept can be confusing but is essential for avoiding duplicate content issues and protecting potential traffic. Let’s consider a scenario to clarify: if you have created two URLs with similar content for accessibility purposes, you should add a canonical tag to indicate which version is the master page you want indexed by search engines.

The message “alternate page with proper canonical tag” appears in GSC, to indicate that there are two pages for your website that has same canonical URL.

When this is not an issue

When this is not an issue

In the context of SEO, the canonical tag is not an issue when it is implemented correctly and the performance of its function is effective by directing the search engine to the right page of the website instead of duplicate page/content.

 A canonical tag is not an issue:

  • When it rightly guides search engine to the main page of the website you want to index.
  • When the page uses self-referencing canonical tag
  • When the right URL is indexed with higher ranking
  • When AMP (accelerated mobile pages) uses the canonical tag correctly that points back to the original page (non-AMP)

How to check which pages are affected

Frequent checking from time to time is essential to identify the affected page and validate whether the pages are meant to be canonicalized or not. So, “how to check it” is where the doubt arises but it can be done easily.

Two methods to check which pages of your websites are affected by canonical tags:

Google Search Console –

  • Go to Google search console > Indexing > Pages > “why pages aren’t indexed”
  • Under that you would find various reasons why your pages weren’t indexed and in one of the reasons will be the “alternate page with proper canonical tag” – it simply means the indexing process wasn’t possible for the page because it has a canonical tag guiding to another page.

URL Inspection –

  • Use URL Inspection to view “Google-selected canonical” and detect if the canonical is respected

How to resolve intentionally

There are ways you can resolve it on the go –

Self‑canonicalization:

  • Ensure pages with incorrect canonical tags point to themselves to clarify the authoritative version.

Internal links:

  • Regularly update internal links to lead to the canonical version, helping both search engines and users navigate effectively.

301 redirects for unnecessary duplicates:

  • Use 301 redirects to permanently send traffic from duplicate pages to the canonical version, consolidating page authority.

Use no index for paginated/product variants if not useful for search:

  • Apply a no index tag to paginated pages or product variants that don’t add value, guiding search engines to focus on more important content.

Best practices & checklist

Best practices & checklist
  • Ensure canonical tag in HTML head or HTTP header
    Make sure to include the canonical tag in the HTML head or HTTP header to enhance your SEO strategy
  • Use only one canonical per page
    It’s important to use only a single canonical tag per page to avoid any confusion regarding content ownership.
  • Avoid conflicting signals: no index with canonical, or mismatched sitemap/redirects
    Ensure you avoid conflicting signals; for instance, don’t use a no index directive in combination with a canonical tag, as this can confuse search engines and lead to suboptimal indexing.

Additionally, make certain that your sitemaps and redirects are consistent and align with the canonical tags you’ve set. These practices will help ensure clear communication with search engines.

Platform-Specific Fixes

Platform-Specific Fixes

If canonical tags are not implemented correctly, it can result in weakened ranking signals and indexing issues. The exact methods for resolving these problems can differ based on the platform you are using.

WordPress

  • Check Yoast or Rank Math canonical settings
  • In the page/post editor’s advanced settings, you can use the default canonical URLs set by plugins
  • Conduct regular reviews and use Google Search Console to check
  • Ensure clean URL usage and no duplicate paths
  • Yoast SEO handles pagination automatically and adds rel=prev and rel=next tags, so no extra action is required from you.

Shopify

  • Avoid duplicate product/collection URLs
  • Use canonical settings where you can insert the tag manually – Online store > themes > Actions > Edit Code
  • Usage of screaming frog for verification and audit

Blogger

  • To add custom canonical meta tags manually, insert them directly into the HTML of your webpage.
  • Avoid using multiple domains or subdomains unless you include the rel=”canonical” link to indicate the preferred version of the page.

Squarespace

  • Use code injection feature
  • Code block is used to add canonical tag as a workaround for individual blog post but it isn’t more effective than using header injection.

Common Causes and Fixes

1. Paginated pages

  • Paginated pages cause confusion for SEO that ends up in duplicate content. To eliminate such challenge, inserting canonical tag is essential since it indicates the search engine which page is the main page or master page.

2. UTM/tagged URLs

  • Canonical tags on UTM-tagged URLs help search engines focus on the main content and ignore tracking parameters. This reduces duplicate content, maintains link equity, and boosts SEO performance.

3. Misconfigured sitemaps

  • To boost your website’s SEO, manage your XML sitemaps and canonical tags. Ensure they are consistent and error-free to help search engines crawl and rank your content better.

4. Duplicate product/category URLs

  • You can manage duplicate product and category URLs effectively by using canonical tags alongside other SEO best practices ultimately enhancing its overall performance

Tools & monitoring

You can manually check the canonical tag for individual pages by viewing the page source and looking for the “canonical” in the <head> section. Additionally, tools like MozBar or the Mangools SEO extension can quickly display the canonical tag for any given page. Here are some other tools that can be helpful:

Frequently Asked Questions

It’s a tool that checks if alternate pages (like duplicates or versions for different regions) are correctly pointing to the main (canonical) page using canonical tags.

Identify duplicate or similar pages and add a tag to them pointing to the original, preferred version.

Canonical tags tell search engines which page is the “master” copy, while alternate tags are used to signal different language or regional versions of a page.

If the old page is no longer needed, a 301 redirect is best; use canonical tags when both pages should exist but one is the preferred version.

Make sure the alternate page either uses the correct canonical tag pointing to the main page or is set up with proper hreflang tags if it’s for a different region or language.

In Blogger, this means a duplicate or similar post has a canonical tag that correctly points to the original blog post, helping avoid SEO confusion.

Developer