In the SEO world, canonical tags are of indispensable importance in avoiding duplicate content by assisting search engines to comprehend a ‘preferred’ page version. You must set up canonical tags if you are operating a Shopify store and want to optimize your SEO strategy.
Follow this blog post, where we will take you step-by-step through adding canonical tags in Shopify and share some expert tips for maximum optimization.
But before that, let us first tell you what Canonical Tags are.
Let’s get started!
What are Canonical Tags?
Canonical tags, known as rel= “canonical” tags in HTML, are used by web developers to address duplicate content on the internet.
Duplicate content refers to the same or similar information appearing more than once on distinct URLs, thus making it difficult for search engines to identify the most relevant and authoritative page.
Website owners use canonical tags to tell search engines which version of a particular webpage they prefer when there are similar versions.
This can be done by specifying the preferred URL using this tag so that major search engines can determine whether it is original. It also helps to consolidate ranking signals and avoid any potential issues associated with replicated information.
How Do Canonical Tags Help SEO?
You can think of canonical tags as traffic cops for search engines. It’s like having two different addresses for the same post.
The search engines may find it difficult to know which one to list first. They inform the site crawler about the preferred version hence bringing together all strengths associated with SEO in the site.
This situation called content dilution happens when you have similar content spread across different URLs, which weakens their rankings.
When your entire website’s link value and user traffic are directed to a single URL, these tags function as laser pointers, improving the search ranking of your site as well as its general SEO performance.
Benefits of Employing Canonical Tagging for SEO
There are many benefits for your SEO when using canonical tagging, such as:
Syndicated Content: Canonical tags make syndicated content much easier to deal with. Whenever you syndicate material from one site to another, it’s important to have the engines still refer back to the source. Add the rel=” canonical” tag to your header, indicating which page you want to index.
Improved rankings: Whenever you give a search engine multiple versions of your web page or article, add canonical states that you want people to visit that specific page and boost the original ranking.
Tracking: You can use canonical tags to track traffic from different sources. For instance, if you have two URL versions, one with www and another without it. This enables you to establish which version brings more traffic and, accordingly, optimize your site.
Regular search engine crawling: “Google will choose one URL as the canonical [main] version and crawl that, and all other URLs will be considered duplicate URLs and crawled less often,” Google says about crawling. So this means that unless you want Google to make this decision for you, include a canonical tag.
When to Use Canonical Tags in Shopify
Canonical tags are powerful tools, and they need to be used strategically. Here are a few common situations where these tags become necessary:
Paginated Product Listings: Although Shopify SEO Services automatically comes with canonical tags in product listing pages, you may still want to check for custom pagination implementation.
Filtered Product Views: This can make unique URLs when products are filtered by their category, color, or even size. Use canonical tags to point these variations back to the main product page.
Mobile-Specific URLs: Those having a different mobile URL structure can use canonical tags to allow the search engines direct access to the desktop version, which is the primary one from an SEO point of view.
Similar Content on Different URLs: If you have content with informative blog posts or slightly different URLs, then a canonical tag can be used to identify the preferred version.
How to Add Canonical Tags in Shopify
Step 1: Navigate to Your Shopify Store’s Theme Code To begin, sign in to your Shopify account, go to the Online Store, and click on Themes. Then press Actions, and after that, go behind Edit Code.
Step 2: Find the Right File Next, you need to find the correct file for editing. The Shopify default SEO practices automatically apply canonical tags to product pages, blog posts, and collections. However, you will have to add them for custom pages manually. This usually means finding and editing your ‘theme. Liquid’ file.
Step 3: Add the Canonical Tag Find the ‘‘tag by scrolling through the code in the theme. liquid. Before this tag, place
below the line of code:
After appending it, click on Save.
Expert Tips on Shopify Canonical Tag When using canonical tags, one should follow some basic rules. Here are some tips:
Always use a canonical tag if you have multiple versions of the same page.
Make sure that your canonical tag points to the right page. If mistakenly, you have it pointing to another page, it can lead to a drop in rankings for that specific page.
Make use of canonical tags on all duplicate pages; this way, search engines can index only one version of each page.
Regarding the specification of the canonical tag, it is advisable to employ absolute URLs so that search engines can correctly index your pages.
Do not specify more than one rel=” canonical” tag per page.
To help identify possible implementation errors, review your canonical tags.
A free trial is available for the Canonical URL Checker in SiteChecker.
Avoid overusing them because too many canonicals can harm your site’s ability to rank
Bottom Line
Using canonical tags effectively in your Shopify store can help you focus on the best SEO strategies and ensure that search engines give priority to the versions of your pages that are most relevant and authoritative.
This not only strengthens your ranking potential but also provides for a consistent user experience. Remember that a properly organized website with well-defined URL hierarchies is necessary for optimal SEO.
However, managing canonical tags, especially across a wide product catalog, can be time-consuming. That is where CartCoders- top Shopify SEO Company comes in.
It is a complete Shopify app suite designed to empower store owners with advanced SEO tools. From managing canonical tags and Meta descriptions to automating on-page optimization and competitor research, you have everything you need to take your Shopify SEO to the next level, all under one roof.
Are you ready to unleash your Shopify store’s full SEO potential? Come visit CartCoders today and see the difference.
As the CTO at Shiv Technolabs & CartCoders, I am liable for instigating, planning, integrating, and implementing the organization's strategic orientation.
I gather the most significant tech news in addition to sharing the information I gained while serving as the CTO of Shiv Technolabs, a renowned web and mobile app development company. I am pleased to answer questions as a most valuable expert for Shiv Technolabs Private Limited and to share my experience. I offer a keen insider's perspective on technical advancements.
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