Canonical tags prevent "duplicate content" penalties by consolidating ranking signals (links, crawl budget) onto the intended URL. They are essential for e-commerce sites with filter/sort parameters and for sites serving content at multiple URLs.
Glossary · SomSkillTech
What is Canonical URL?
Definition & Guide
Definition
The preferred version of a URL specified via the <link rel="canonical"> tag, used to resolve duplicate content by pointing search engines to the authoritative page.
💡 Did You Know?
Google treats canonical tags as a strong hint rather than a directive — it may override them if it detects a more appropriate canonical.