Glossary
Canonical URL
Definition
The single preferred address for a piece of content when it is reachable at more than one. The canonical tag tells search engines which version to index and credit, so duplicates consolidate instead of competing with each other.
Duplication happens innocently: with and without the www prefix, tracking parameters, a listing syndicated to three portals. Left unresolved, each copy splits the credit the content earns. The canonical tag resolves it by declaring one address the real one.
Every page we build declares its canonical, and every citation surface we manage points at it, so anything earned anywhere accrues to one place.
Related terms