Freqo Compass · Guide
Canonical tags: one address for each page
The same page is often reachable at several addresses. The canonical tag tells search engines which one is the main version, the one to show in results.
Why it matters
- A page can be reached with or without a final slash, with tracking parameters (?utm_source=…), with sorting or filter options… For a search engine, these are different addresses with the same content.
- Search engines then choose one version themselves. The canonical tag gives them your preference and gathers the signals on one address.
- A wrong canonical tag is worse than none: if it points to an error page or to another site, the page may disappear from results.
How to check it
In the page source, look for the line <link rel="canonical" href="…">. In Google Search Console, the URL inspection tool shows the canonical address you declared and the one Google has chosen. Freqo Compass checks the canonical tag of every page each week.
How to fix it
- Give each page a canonical tag pointing to its own full address, in https (a self-referencing canonical).
- For copies or variants of a page, point the canonical tag to the main version.
- The canonical address must work: no error, no redirect, no noindex.
- Stay consistent: use the same address in the canonical tag, in your internal links and in your sitemap.
- Point the canonical tag to another site only if you really publish the same content there on purpose.
What Freqo Compass checks
- Canonical tags that point to an address that does not work
- Canonical tags that point to another site
This is one of the 39 checks Freqo Compass runs on your site every week, each with an explanation of how to fix it. Discover Freqo Compass
Other guides
- Broken links and 404 errors
- Page titles and meta descriptions
- Real page speed (Core Web Vitals)
- Sitemap and robots.txt
- Images without alternative text
- HTTPS, www and redirects
- hreflang and page language
No tool can guarantee a position in search results, and neither do we.