What is Canonical URL?

[Nia Jax]

I'm a Yoast SEO Plugin User and recently update Yoast SEO Plugin & I do see a new option just under, Title, Description, Meta keywords and a new option is "Canonical URL"

Does any know about Canonical URL?

What's this Canonical URL & what's use of this?

 

[Mannu Bhai]

"Canonical URL" is duplicate urls or that url has same information of page. In this case both urls has same information and its represent that google will not consider that particular urls.

 

[Dharmik B]

Let you have multiple content or product in multiple URLs and with using "Canonical URL", you can use this on your site without harming ranking on search engine. You can use "rel=canonical" tag to use canonical URLs. Hope you undestand.

 

[comforrts]

You can use "rel=canonical" tag to use canonical URLs.

where put this tag?

 

[Dharmik B]

where put this tag?

Please refer...

rel=canonical - Google Support

 

[mickyfu]

where put this tag?

I think if you use Yoast then it is already sorted out. Don't take my word for it though.

 

[imacmini]

for my understanding canonical url is useful for SEO purpose when you use CDN or AMP for example :

your website canonical url is :

website.com/this-is-post

you are using cdn for images and host file and amp on your website and url will be :

cdn.website.com/this-is-post
and for amp
website.com/this-is-post/amp/

which is the duplicate content of your canonical url website.com/this-is-post
You just want that AMP and CDN for improve your site but if you are not using Canonical URL Tag, Bot Crawler doesnt know which one of that URL that you want to index.

Then this is the use of your Canonical URL, if you use Canonical tag on website.com/this-is-post
then big G will know that the other URL website.com/this-is-post/amp/ and cdn.website.com/this-is-post is your duplicates URLs with same content and will make your canonicalized URL website.com/this-is-post is the one that should be indexed in SERP.

Hope you are understand, i have a thread asking this question because i am using CDN to serve my static host files and images for my website. And correct me if i made a mistake for understanding this canonical concept.