In the world of SEO, there are a few things that are considered “must-haves,” such as web design, keyword research, on-page optimization, and canonical tag. The canonical tag is used to tell search engines which version of a page is the “original” or “main” version.
And this is important because it can help prevent duplicate content issues and improve your site's ranking in search results. There are a few ways to use the canonical tag, and it's important to use it in the right way for your site. Here are some of the most common ways to use the canonical tag:
- Canonicalizing multiple versions of a page (e.g., desktop and mobile versions)
- Canonicalizing paginated pages
- Canonicalizing a page that has been redirected
- Canonicalizing a duplicate page
The canonical tag is also important for preventing Google from indexing 404 pages. This function also takes care of redirecting www to non-www version or vice-versa, as may be appropriate, for any incoming link that uses the wrong canonical version of the URL.
So how do you create a global canonical tag in Webflow? It's actually pretty easy. Just follow these steps:
Option#1
Step-by-Step Guide to creating a canonical tag in a Webflow website Via Custom Code
1. Open the Webflow Designer for your website in your Webflow account.
2. Go to CMS Collections and click on the gear icon for your blog posts collection.
3. under custom code inside <head> tag insert: <link rel="canonical" ref="https://yourwebsite.com/post/ REPLACE WITH SLUG"/>
4. Click Save Collection at the top of the page.
5. Go to your Pages menu and click on the gear icon for your blog posts template.
6. To activate the new Webflow field, click on update settings and publish your project.
To verify is your post or page has canonical, you can use SEO Minion extension and click “Analyze On-page SEO”
Option#2
Webflow Site Global Canonical Tag Option
Another way to add a canonical tag in Webflow is via the Global Canonical Tag Option. Just go to Settings >SEO TAB scroll down to “Global Canonical Tag URL”. Enter the root domain URL of the page you want to designate as the official version, and click Save. When you add a canonical tag in Webflow, the tag will be automatically added to all landing pages on your site. You don't need to add the tag separately to each page.
Adding a canonical tag in Webflow is an easy way to help Google understand which version of a page is the official one. When there are multiple versions of a page, Google may not know which one to show in search results. Adding a canonical tag can help prevent this from happening.
You may now add your site's base URL (e.g., https://mywebsite.com) as a global canonical tag, and that URL, combined with the unique URL slug of each page, will be utilized to generate canonical tags for each page on your website.
Why are canonical tags important for SEO?
Canonical tags are important for SEO because they help to prevent duplicate content from being indexed by search engines. And this is important because it can help to improve the ranking of your website on search engine results pages.
Canonical tags work by indicating to search engines which version of a web page is the original and which versions are duplicates. This helps to ensure that only the original version of a page is indexed and ranked, improving the overall SEO of your website.
So, if you are using multiple versions of a page on your website (for example, different languages or regional versions), be sure to use canonical tags to indicate the correct version to search engines. It will help to improve the ranking of your website on search engine results pages and ensure that your visitors see the version of the page that you intended them to see.
If you’re not sure how to set up canonical tags for Webflow websites, get in touch with a Webflow Design Agency or Webflow designers. They can help you with the design process, development process, adding a site plan, and setting up canonical tags to create beautiful websites that are SEO-friendly.
Conclusion
SEO is an important part of any website, whether you’re a new company or have been online for years. In this article, we’ve shown you how to add a global canonical tag in Webflow for your amazing website. It will help you avoid duplicate content penalties from Google and ensure that your site ranks as high as possible in search engine results pages (SERPs). Thus, helping your business for future growth.
We hope you enjoyed this blog post and found it helpful! If any questions about Canonical tags or SEO in general, be sure to reach out. We're here for your needs when it comes time to get the most from our services.
You can contact us, We specialize in Webflow web design, Optimized for Search Engines, and growth-driven designs, we will help your business gain long-term organic and future growth.