Google explains process for selecting canonical webpages

"Canonical Webpages"

Google’s Gary Illyes recently shed some light on how the search giant chooses canonical webpages. It’s certainly a complex process, and one that savvy SEO practitioners should understand. The selection mechanism isn’t arbitrary; it follows a particular algorithm which determines the visibility of a website in search results.

Understanding duplicate pages is crucial. Publishers often view the first page as canonical, while SEO experts would consider the most optimized version as canonical. The key takeaway is to recognize and define a canonical webpage to avoid content duplication issues, optimising visibility and organic traffic.

Google, however, takes a different approach. It uses ‘deduplication’ to choose canonical webpages, considering variables such as regional or device variations, protocol variations, site features, and accidental duplications.

Decoding Google’s canonical webpage selection process

The goal is to index only the most relevant and useful version of a webpage, improving search engine performance.

Google’s role in indexing is to detect duplicated pages and decide which version to keep as the canonical version, essentially, the one that’s the best representation of its group. This relies on a careful evaluation of the authenticity and originality of each webpage.

See Also
"Advanced Advertising"

A technique called duplicate clustering aids Google in this process. It groups similar content pages together, analyzing the main content of each page. This allows Google to serve diverse and relevant search results.

When planning webpages, it’s important to remember that less is more. An uncluttered webpage delivering clear, precise content is favored by search engines. Attention should be given to publicly accessible content, as algorithms tend to prioritize these pages in search results. This can significantly boost a webpage’s chances of being chosen as canonical by Google, improving visibility and traffic.

Feeling stuck in self-doubt?

Stop trying to fix yourself and start embracing who you are. Join the free 7-day self-discovery challenge and learn how to transform negative emotions into personal growth.

Join Free Now

Picture of Owen Davis

Owen Davis

As the founder and CEO, Owen combines his deep expertise in technology with a passion for innovation to drive his company's success. Through his strategic vision and relentless pursuit of excellence, Owen is shaping the future of the tech industry.

RECENT ARTICLES

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

People who lack mental stimulation in their relationship often display these 9 subtle behaviors

People who lack mental stimulation in their relationship often display these 9 subtle behaviors

Global English Editing

For years, I stayed in toxic relationships because I thought that was all I deserved. Here’s how I finally broke free

For years, I stayed in toxic relationships because I thought that was all I deserved. Here’s how I finally broke free

Hack Spirit

4 zodiac signs who have many acquaintances but only a few close friends

4 zodiac signs who have many acquaintances but only a few close friends

My Inner Creative

People who can’t stand receiving voice messages (instead of text) usually have these 7 traits

People who can’t stand receiving voice messages (instead of text) usually have these 7 traits

NewsReports

These four Zodiac signs will experience a major turning point before the end of this month

These four Zodiac signs will experience a major turning point before the end of this month

Parent From Heart

If you refuse to tolerate these things, you have a very strong personality

If you refuse to tolerate these things, you have a very strong personality

Global English Editing