A canonical tag is a type of HTML meta tag that is used to indicate the preferred version of a web page when there are multiple pages with similar or duplicate content. The canonical tag is placed in the head section of the HTML code for a web page and provides a link to the preferred version of the page.
The main use case for canonical tags is to deal with situations where multiple pages with similar or duplicate content exist on a website, such as when a single product or article is accessible from multiple URLs. This can lead to confusion for search engines, which may index and rank multiple versions of the same content, leading to a poor user experience and potentially lower search engine rankings.
By using a canonical tag, website owners and digital marketers can specify which version of a page should be considered the preferred or “canonical” version, and help ensure that search engines index and rank the correct version. This can improve the visibility, ranking, and user experience of a web page in search engine results.
Overall, canonical tags are an important aspect of the on-page optimization process and are a useful tool for resolving issues related to duplicate content and improving a web page’s visibility and ranking in search engine results.