Shopify Canonical URLs / Tags – Usage & Optimization

Canonical tags are essential for managing duplicate content and improving your Shopify store’s SEO. A canonical tag helps search engines understand which version of a webpage to index when multiple URLs display identical content or highly similar content.

In Shopify, canonical tags prevent duplicate pages from diluting the SEO value and help the search engines prioritize the most relevant page. We look at how to use canonical tags in Shopify to enhance your online store’s SEO and prevent duplicate content issues. Canonical URLs matter because they ensure proper indexing by search engines and help avoid duplicate content issues.

What are Canonical Tags and URLs?

Canonical tags and URLs are essential components of search engine optimization (SEO) in Shopify. A canonical tag is an HTML link element that helps search engines understand which version of a web page is the original or “master” copy. This is particularly important in Shopify, where multiple URLs can be created for the same product or page due to collections, variants, or other factors. By specifying a canonical URL, you can ensure that search engines rank the correct page and avoid duplicate content issues.

In essence, a canonical tag tells search engines which URL should be considered the authoritative source for a particular piece of content. This prevents the dilution of ranking signals across multiple URLs and helps consolidate SEO value to a single, preferred URL. For example, if a product page can be accessed through different collection URLs, the canonical tag will indicate the primary URL that should be indexed and ranked.

Using canonical tags effectively can significantly improve your Shopify store’s SEO by ensuring that search engines understand the structure of your site and prioritize the correct pages in search engine results.

This not only helps in avoiding duplicate content penalties but also enhances the overall user experience by directing visitors to the most relevant version of a web page.

Why Canonical Tags Matter for Shopify SEO

Canonical tags tell search engines which URL should be considered the preferred URL when multiple versions of the same content exist. Without proper canonicalization, search engines might index multiple pages with duplicate content, tha can harm your Shopify store’s ranking signals.

A common and well known structure of Shopify is it will generate multiple URLs for the same product, such as:

/products/product-name
/collections/collection-name/products/product-name

If you fail to specify the primary version of the page using a canonical tag, search engines like Google may consider these different URLs as separate web pages, reducing the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

Duplicate content can also arise from:

Pagination in collection pages
Product variants
Sorting options on collection pages

By using canonical tags, Shopify ensures that search engines understand which page should be ranked and displayed in search engine results.

How Shopify Handles Canonical Tags by Default

Shopify automatically includes canonical URLs in most cases. For product pages, collection pages, and blog posts, Shopify inserts a canonical tag that points to the primary version of the content. This helps consolidate the SEO value to a single URL, avoiding dilution from multiple duplicate pages.

For example:

The canonical tag on a product page: /products/product-name will tell Google that this is the preferred URL, even if the same product appears in different collections or has different variants. This approach prevents Google and other search engines from indexing non-canonical versions of the page.

However, while Shopify SEO benefits from the platform’s default canonical tags, there are situations where customization may be necessary. If you have multiple collections displaying the same product, or need custom URLs for certain scenarios, manual adjustments can improve your technical SEO.

Here is an example, where the product serves by two different URLs, but the canonical URL is set correctly on both pages.

https://trailrace.com.au/products/samshield-diane-breeches
https://trailrace.com.au/collections/ladies/products/samshield-diane-breeches

In this example, the exact same product serves on both URLs. This is because it’s in a collection, and also as the individual product page.

However if you search for the canonical URL in the source code of the collection URL, you’ll see it points correctly to the “master” product page.

source code of a Shopify canonical product page URL

Customizing Canonical Tags in Shopify

While Shopify does a good job with default canonical tags, you may need to create custom canonical URLs in certain cases, such as for specific products or when handling custom-built pages. Customizing the canonical tags involves editing the HTML code in your Shopify theme. You can easily set a custom canonical tag for any page you wish.

Here’s how to add custom canonical URLs:

Access the Shopify Admin Dashboard.
Go to Online Store > Themes > Edit Code.
Open the theme.liquid file or relevant template file for the page.
Insert the canonical URL between the <head></head> html code section of the theme.liquid file.

<link rel="canonical" href="{{ canonical_url }}">Replace {{ canonical_url }} with the preferred URL for the specific page.

For Shopify product pages that appear in multiple collections, customizing the canonical URL can prevent duplicate content issues. You can also use Shopify partner apps to simplify canonical tag management for large stores.

Using Apps to Simplify Canonical Tag Management

Managing canonical tags can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially for large Shopify stores. Fortunately, there are several apps available that can simplify canonical tag management.

These apps can help you automate the process of adding canonical tags to your pages, detect and fix duplicate content issues, and even provide insights into how search engines are crawling and indexing your site.

Some popular apps for canonical tag management include Canonical Tag URL Wizard, SEO Booster, and Smart SEO. These tools offer features such as automatic canonical tag generation, bulk editing capabilities, and detailed reports on your site’s SEO performance. By leveraging these apps, you can ensure that your canonical tags are correctly implemented across your entire store, saving you time and reducing the risk of errors.

Using these apps can also help you stay on top of any changes in search engine algorithms or best practices, ensuring that your Shopify store remains optimized for search engines. This proactive approach to SEO can lead to better search engine rankings, increased organic traffic, and ultimately, more sales for your online store.

Common Canonical Tag Issues in Shopify

Even though Shopify handles canonical tags by default, SEO issues can still arise. Incorrect canonical URLs can lead to problems with indexing and ranking, reducing your store’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). Here are some common canonical tag errors and how to fix them:

a) Missing Canonical Tags

Sometimes, canonical tags may not be included on custom pages or sections of your store. To fix this, ensure that your Shopify themes include the necessary HTML link element for canonicalization in all page templates.

b) Conflicting Canonical Tags

If you have multiple versions of a URL and assign different canonical URLs to each, search engines may get confused, resulting in indexing the wrong version of the web page. Make sure the canonical URL is consistent across all duplicate pages.

c) Incorrect Canonical URL Setup

For example, if your product URLs are wrongly canonicalized to an irrelevant collection page, it may hurt the ranking of the preferred URL. To fix this, audit your canonical tags using tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog to ensure they point to the right URLs.

Canonical Tags vs. Noindex in Shopify

Although canonical tags and the noindex tag both help resolve duplicate content issues, they serve different purposes. A canonical tag tells Google to index a specific version of the same content, while a noindex tag tells Google not to index the page at all.

Use a canonical tag when you have duplicate pages or highly similar content across multiple URLs but still want one version to appear in search engine results. For example, use a canonical URL on product pages that appear in multiple collections.

Use noindex for admin pages or content that is not relevant to search engines, like checkout or account login pages. Applying the noindex tag to non-canonical versions of product pages ensures that Google and other search engines don’t waste crawl budget on unimportant pages.

Optimizing Canonical Tags for Product Pages

Product pages are an important component of any Shopify store, and optimizing canonical tags for these pages is essential for improving search engine rankings. Here are some tips for optimizing canonical tags for product pages:

Use a Consistent Naming Convention: Consistency in naming your product pages helps search engines understand the structure of your site. This can improve the indexing process and make it easier for search engines to identify the primary version of each product page.
Set the Product’s Canonical URL as the Primary URL: Ensure that the canonical URL for each product page points to the main version of the page. This is particularly important if the product appears in multiple collections or has different variants.
Avoid Using “Noindex” Tags on Product Pages: Using “noindex” tags can prevent search engines from indexing your product pages, which can negatively impact your SEO and user experience. Instead, use canonical tags to specify the preferred version of the page.
Specify the Original Version of a Product Page: Even if a product has multiple variants or appears in different collections, use canonical tags to indicate the original version of the page. This helps consolidate SEO value and ensures that search engines rank the correct page.

By following these tips, you can optimize your product pages for better search engine rankings, leading to increased visibility and more traffic to your Shopify store.

How to Audit Canonical Tags in Shopify

Auditing your Shopify store for canonical tags helps ensure all pages are properly optimized for search engines. Here’s a step-by-step process:

Use Google Search Console: Check the coverage report to see how Google views your canonical URLs. The inspect URL tool lets you view the canonical tag Google has chosen for your pages.

Run a Crawl with Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog will analyze your site’s structure, identifying any duplicate content or issues with canonical tags. The free version of Screaming Frog allows a crawl of up to 500 URLs at a time.
Check for Inconsistent Canonicalization: Review your collection pages and product pages to ensure that the canonical URL always points to the right version.
Fix Errors: If any pages are incorrectly canonicalized, go to your Shopify admin and either adjust the HTML link element manually or use a Shopify partner app to manage your URLs.
Re-crawl and Re-audit: After fixing issues, re-run a crawl to ensure all canonical tags are correctly implemented and no duplicate content remains.

Final Notes

Canonical tags are a important component of any Shopify SEO strategy. They prevent duplicate content issues, improve your store’s ranking on search engine results pages, and help search engines understand which version of a URL should be indexed.

By following the steps in this guide and regularly auditing your canonical tags, you can ensure that your Shopify store is properly optimized for search engines, improving visibility and rankings.