Canonical URL checker

What canonical tags actually do

A canonical tag is one line of HTML — <link rel="canonical" href="…"> — that signals your preferred URL for duplicate or very similar content. Distinct pagination pages should usually have their own canonical URLs.

Consistent canonicals, redirects, internal links and sitemap URLs make your preference clearer. This tool formats a tag; it does not fetch the target or verify Google's selected canonical.

How to build a clean canonical

Choose the normalization settings that match your live site, then verify the generated target before publishing the tag.

• Use the HTTPS URL when it is the intended, working version of the page.
• Strip query strings unless they produce genuinely different content (a search results page might keep them; a UTM-tagged blog post should not).
• Strip #fragments — Google ignores them for indexing anyway.
• Pick one trailing-slash convention site-wide and apply it consistently.
• Match the canonical URL in the tag exactly to the URL that returns 200 (no redirect chain).
• Use absolute URLs, not relative paths — the spec allows relative but absolute is safer.

Common canonical mistakes

Check for template errors that point unrelated pages at the homepage. Google can ignore contradictory canonical signals; a tag does not guarantee deindexing or consolidation. Confirm the tag and inspect important URLs in Search Console.

Review redirected targets, inconsistent trailing slashes and conflicting canonical declarations. Use one consistent final URL and verify that it serves the intended page. Preserve parameters when they identify distinct content, including pagination.