Adding a canonical tag to a page will tell Google and other search engines which version of a page is the one to index. Using a canonical tag helps search engines understand which page is the most relevant. Without a canonical tag, your page could be affected by duplicate content, which could hurt your SEO.
There are many ways to add a canonical tag to a website. You can include one in your sitemap, use a canonical URL in your HTTP response header or add a canonical link in your HTML code. However, there are some things you should consider before doing so. The best way to ensure that you get the most from a canonical tag is to follow the guidelines provided by Google.
A canonical tag should be unique and not carry the noindex tag. It is also important to use the most appropriate HTTP protocol for your site. For example, you may want to add an HTTPS canonical link to a page that contains HTTPS content. However, you should make sure that the canonical tag is located in the head of the page.
While it may seem like an impossible task to add a canonical tag to every URL on your website, you can use a canonical tag plugin to do the hard work for you. For example, the Yoast SEO plugin does a great job of incorporating canonical tags into your page. There are also many plugins available for WordPress that will add the tag for you. This is a great way to ensure that your site is not affected by duplicate content.
Adding a canonical tag can be a big task, especially if you have thousands of pages. For a large site, the time it takes to add a canonical tag could make the difference between a high ranking and a low one. A canonical tag can be a good way to ensure that Google understands which page is the most relevant and helps to rank you higher in SERPs.
Another thing you might want to consider is adding a canonical link to every page on your website. These can be found in the head of the page, in your HTTP response header, or in your HTML code. Depending on the type of page you are referencing, you may need to create several canonical links, but the most important thing is to make sure they are unique. The main purpose of the canonical link is to let Google know that you have a version of the page with the most relevant content. You should make sure that the canonical link also links back to the non-AMP version of your page, as this will help search engines understand which version is the most relevant.
Another thing to consider is that canonical tags are not mandatory. However, many SEO practitioners prefer to incorporate them on all pages. Adding the canonical link to all pages will ensure that your site is not affected by duplicates.