Fixing “alternative page with proper canonical tag”
An affected page with an “alternative page with proper canonical tag” warning in Google Search Console (GSC) indicates that a URL submitted in your sitemap has a canonical tag pointing to a different URL, suggesting that the linked URL is the preferred or “canonical” version of the content. This warning is not necessarily a tag error or tag issue but rather a notification to help you verify if your canonical page tags are set up correctly.
Alternate page with proper canonical tag
To fix this warning or ensure your canonical tags are set up correctly, follow these steps:
Verify the warning: Check the URL mentioned in the Google Search Console warning and visit the page. Inspect the source code (right-click on the page and select “View Page Source” or “Inspect”) and look for the canonical tag in the <head> section. It should look like this:
Determine if the canonical tag is correct: If the canonical tag points to a different URL, ask yourself if this is intentional. Is the URL in the canonical tag the preferred version of the content? If yes, you don’t need to do anything, as the warning is just informing you about the canonical relationship between the two URLs.
Update the canonical tag if necessary: If the canonical tag points to the wrong URL or you think the content on the original URL should be considered the canonical version, update the canonical tag to point to the correct URL. This can usually be done through your content management system (CMS) or SEO plugin settings.
Remove unnecessary canonical tags: If both URLs have unique content and should be treated as separate pages by search engines, you may want to remove the canonical tag from the original URL to prevent it from being considered a duplicate.
Update your sitemap: If you’ve updated or removed canonical tags, ensure your sitemap reflects these changes. Submit the updated sitemap to Google Search Console to inform Google about the changes.
Monitor Google Search Console: Keep an eye on Google Search Console to ensure the warning has been resolved after making changes to your canonical tags and updating your sitemap.
By addressing the “alternative page with proper canonical tag” warning and ensuring your canonical tags are set up correctly, you can help search engines understand which version of a page to index and rank, thus avoiding duplicate content issues and improving your website’s SEO.
FAQ
What is proper Canonical Tag?
A proper canonical tag is an HTML link element that helps search engines identify the preferred version of a webpage when there are multiple similar or duplicate pages on a website. The canonical tag is used to avoid duplicate content issues, consolidate link equity, and improve SEO by telling search engines which version of a page should be indexed and ranked.
A proper canonical tag should have the following attributes:
The tag should be placed in the <head> section of the HTML document.
The tag should use the rel="canonical" attribute to indicate that it’s a canonical tag.
The tag should include an href attribute with the absolute URL of the preferred version of the page. This URL should be canonicalized, meaning it should be consistent in terms of protocol (http or https), domain (www or non-www), and URL structure (trailing slashes).
To implement a proper canonical tag in your website, follow these best practices:
Use a self-referencing canonical tag on every page, even if there are no duplicate versions. This helps prevent potential issues with scraped or syndicated content and ensures search engines understand the preferred version of each page.
Use absolute URLs instead of relative URLs for the href attribute to avoid potential confusion or misinterpretation by search engines.
Be consistent with your website’s URL structure, ensuring that canonical URLs match the preferred format.
Avoid using multiple canonical tags on a single page, as it can create confusion for search engines.
When using canonical tags to consolidate similar or duplicate content, choose the version that provides the most value to users as the canonical URL.
By implementing proper canonical tags on your website, you can help search engines understand the structure of your content, avoid duplicate content issues, and improve your site’s overall SEO performance.
How to fix “alternative page with proper canonical tag”
"Alternative page with proper canonical tag" refers to a situation where two or more pages with similar or duplicate content use a canonical tag to indicate the preferred version of the content. This helps search engines understand which page to prioritize in search results, avoiding content duplication issues.
If you’re trying to fix an issue related to the canonical tag, follow these steps:
Identify the duplicate or similar content pages: Start by finding the pages on your website that have similar or duplicate content. You can use tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Sitebulb to help identify these pages.
Choose the preferred version: Decide which of the similar or duplicate pages you want search engines to prioritize. This should be the most complete, relevant, and authoritative version of the content.
Implement the canonical tag: Add a canonical tag to the head section of each duplicate or similar page, pointing to the preferred version of the content. The tag should look like this:
Check for consistency: Make sure the canonical tags on all duplicate or similar pages point to the same preferred page URL. Double-check that you haven’t accidentally created a loop or pointed the canonical tag to a non-existent URL.
Update internal links: If possible, update internal links on your website to point directly to the preferred page URL instead of the duplicate or similar pages. This helps to consolidate link equity and improve the overall user experience.
Submit updated sitemap: After making the changes, create a new XML sitemap and submit it to search engines like Google and Bing. This helps search engines discover and index the changes more quickly.
Monitor the results: Keep an eye on the performance of your pages in search engine rankings and make sure that the preferred page is being prioritized. You can use tools like Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, or other SEO tools to monitor your website’s performance.
By following these steps, you should be able to fix the "alternative page with proper canonical tag" issue and improve your website’s SEO, or if you think this is too much, then you may get an SEO expert who can help you with your e-commerce digital marketing strategies optimizations.
Isaac Adams-Hands is the SEO Director at SEO North, a company that provides Search Engine Optimization services. As an SEO Professional, Isaac has considerable expertise in On-page SEO, Off-page SEO, and Technical SEO, which gives him a leg up against the competition.
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