An HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page (among multiple similar or duplicate versions) should be treated as the authoritative one to index and rank.
Why it matters
Without a canonical tag, near-duplicate pages (a product page accessible via multiple URLs, for instance) can split ranking signals or confuse search engines about which version to show — a canonical tag consolidates that signal onto a single, chosen URL.
In a sentence
"We added canonical tags across the print and mobile versions of the article, all pointing back to the main URL."
Related terms
- Often confused with: A redirect (a canonical tag tells search engines which version to index while still allowing all versions to be accessible; a redirect actually sends visitors and search engines from one URL to another).
- Synonyms: Canonical URL.