Free Canonical Tag Checker
Verify your canonical tag is set correctly to prevent duplicate content issues.
How does your site compare?
85% of top-ranking pages use self-referencing canonical tags with matching HTTPS protocol.
Based on canonical tag presence, URL matching, protocol consistency, and cross-domain detection.
Your page has a self-referencing canonical tag using HTTPS that matches the page URL.
How to fix this
Add a self-referencing canonical tag to every page with the correct absolute URL using HTTPS.
- 1Add <link rel="canonical" href="https://yoursite.com/page-url"> to the <head> section.
- 2Use the full absolute URL (including https://) — never a relative path.
- 3Ensure the canonical URL matches the page's actual URL exactly.
- 4If using both www and non-www, canonical should use your preferred version.
- 5Verify there's only one canonical tag per page (multiple canonicals confuse search engines).
Quick tips by platform
WordPress: Yoast SEO and Rank Math add canonical tags automatically. Override in the Advanced SEO settings per page.
Wix: Wix adds canonical tags automatically. Check SEO settings for custom canonical URLs.
Squarespace: Squarespace auto-generates canonical tags. Use URL redirects for duplicate content.
Shopify: Shopify adds canonical tags automatically to all pages and products.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a canonical tag?
A canonical tag (rel="canonical") tells search engines which version of a page is the "original" or preferred version. It prevents duplicate content issues when the same content is accessible at multiple URLs.
When do I need a canonical tag?
Always. Every page should have a self-referencing canonical tag. It's especially important when content is accessible via multiple URLs (with/without www, with query parameters, etc.).
What's a self-referencing canonical?
A self-referencing canonical points to the page's own URL. This is best practice for most pages — it explicitly declares "this URL is the canonical version of this content."
Can canonical tags hurt SEO?
Yes, if misconfigured. A canonical pointing to a different page tells Google to ignore the current page. Wrong canonicals can deindex pages. Always verify canonical URLs are correct.
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