Canonicalization has been confirmed to be linked with the search engine rankings; however, is it a factor that affects order? Find out more here.
Canonicalization may be connected to search results; however, is it too far to call it a ranking factor?
You might have heard about”canonical,” or the rel=”canonical” tag acts as a tool that could be used to aggregate ranking signals from several URLs into a single canonical URL.
It’s true. However, it’s a tool with limitations in its use.
If it’s used correctly, There’s no assurance that Google will be following its guidelines.
Find out the basics about Canonical URLs and how rel=”canonical” tag can be linked to search results.
The Claims that Canonicalization (rel=”canonical”) is an essential factor in ranking
Rel=”canonical” can be described as one HTML tag used to inform Google the version of a web page to display in search results if different versions of the page are present.
It’s typically utilized to combine duplicate URLs on a single website, but it is also used for republished content or distributed across several domains.
Google doesn’t like to display the same content in search results. Therefore, it will select one URL and exclude other URLs. This is called the “canonical” URL.
Additionally, it tells Google what URL to display in the search results; some think it is possible that the rel=”canonical” tag can transfer rank signals across one site to another.
It’s the same thing that Google has to say about canonicals in the context of how they relate to search ranking.
The Evidence The Evidence: Canonicalization (rel=”canonical”) as an important ranking factor
Google’s official guide for advanced SEO contains a complete section on using canonicalization to eliminate duplicate URLs. However, it doesn’t include anything about the search engine positions.
But the Google’s John Mueller previously addressed the question of canonicals and searched rankings during an episode of weekly SEO questions and answers.
In this specific instance, Mueller recommends that a webmaster use the rel=”canonical” tag to identify duplicate content as it allows you to combine all ranking signals in one. He added:
“In all, I’d suggest using a rel=”canonical” to avoid duplicate content instead of the noindex.
If you’ve got a noindex, it’s saying that this page shouldn’t be indexed in any way.
With a canonical, you’re telling us that this particular page is the same as the other page I have, which helps us because we can use all the signals we’ve got for both of these pages and blend them to create one.
In contrast, if you only have a noindex or block it using robots.txt, Then the signals that go with the page that’s blocked or has an index associated with it will be lost. They’ll be removed.”
This proves that Google can combine the ranking signal from redundant content into a canonical URL using rel=”canonical” HTML tag. rel=”canonical” HTML tag.
Canonicalization as a Factor in Ranking The Verdict
Canonicalization is proven to be linked with search engine rankings. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s a ranking factor.
The rel=”canonical” tag could be used to blend signals from several duplicate URLs to create a single one, but even then, it’s not a reliable method.
If you use the rel=”canonical” tag has been utilized correctly, Google may still choose to ignore it and select its URL in its search results.
This rel=”canonical” tag serves more like a hint, not an instruction – and certainly not a factor in ranking.
