Gary Illyes from Google Search Central has revealed how Google determines canonical webpages during the indexing process. Illyes describes this ‘canonicalization’ as Google’s way of choosing the best URL from multiple versions of a page. It’s not about the original or primary page, it’s about the page that best represents the content.
Canonicalization from Google’s standpoint involves comparing and identifying the most representative page from a set of similar pages. This perspective may differ from publishers and SEO experts’ usual assumption – considering the original page as the strongest candidate. It’s crucial to understand this when constructing SEO strategies as it affects indexing and ranking by Google.
When Google chooses a canonical page, it takes into account regional and device variants, protocol variants, site functionalities, and also accidental versions of the page. For example, it will choose the page most relevant to a specific region or device and favors an HTTPS version for its secure nature. Google also prefers versions where site functionalities like sorting or filtering are disabled, and uses the version most visitors land on in the case of accidental duplications.
During indexing, Google uses signals to determine the canonical version of a page. These signals help Google to identify if the page is a duplicate and which page should be kept as the canonical version.
Decoding Google’s canonical webpage selection
Google consolidates all signals to this one page to provide the most accurate search results. Webmasters should use consistent URLs to help guide Google’s algorithms to the correct version. Avoiding duplication of content across different URLs is also recommended.
Illyes also touched on ‘duplicate clustering’. Here, Google groups similar content pages together. According to Illyes, Google’s algorithms recognize the main theme of a page and group it with other similar content pages. So, search results prioritize these canonical pages, making it easier for users to find the information they need.
In conclusion, understanding how Google determines canonical webpages is vital for publishers and SEO professionals in optimizing their webpages. A better grasp of Google’s method of picking canonical webpages can guide effective webpage optimization strategies.
