The canonical tag is a powerful tool for telling search engines which version of a page you want them to index. But what happens when Google ignores your suggestion? This is the issue of user-declared canonical not selected, and it’s a sign that you’re sending mixed signals to search engines. This guide will explore the common reasons why Google might not select your user-declared canonical and how to fix it.
Think of it as telling a friend to meet you at a specific coffee shop, but then you send them a text with a different address. They’re going to be confused, and they might end up at the wrong place. For a broader look at canonicalization, see our guide on the canonical issues category.
Common Reasons for Google Not Selecting Your Canonical
As explained in Google’s own guide to canonicalization, there are several reasons why they might not select your user-declared canonical.
- Dissimilar Content: The content on the canonicalized page is not similar enough to the content on the user-declared canonical page.
- Non-Indexable Canonical: The user-declared canonical page is not indexable due to a `noindex` tag or a `robots.txt` disallow.
- Conflicting Signals: You have conflicting signals from other sources, such as your sitemap, internal links, or redirects.
A Step-by-Step Guide to a Clear Canonical Signal
The goal is to send a clear and consistent signal to Google about which version of a page you want them to index. For more on this, check out this guide to canonicalization from Moz.
Example: The Fix
Imagine you have two pages with similar content, and you want to canonicalize Page A to Page B. However, you have a sitemap that includes Page A, and you have more internal links pointing to Page A than to Page B. This is a conflicting signal. The fix is to remove Page A from your sitemap and to update your internal links to point to Page B.
- Use the URL Inspection Tool: This is the first and most important step. It will tell you which URL Google has selected as the canonical.
- Align Your Signals: Make sure that your sitemap, internal links, and redirects all point to your preferred canonical URL.
- Ensure Content Similarity: Make sure that the content on the canonicalized page is very similar to the content on the user-declared canonical page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ‘user-declared canonical not selected’ mean?
This means that you have specified a canonical URL for a page, but Google has chosen to index a different URL as the canonical version. It’s a signal that Google is not confident in your canonical tag and is overriding it based on other signals.
Why would Google ignore my canonical tag?
Google might ignore your canonical tag if the content on the two pages is not similar enough, if the canonicalized page is not indexable, or if there are conflicting signals from other sources, such as your sitemap or internal links.
How can I fix this issue?
The best way to fix this issue is to use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to see which URL Google has selected as the canonical. Then, you can take steps to align your signals, such as updating your internal links, sitemap, and redirects to all point to your preferred canonical URL.
Ready to fix your two-faced pages? Start your Creeper audit today and see how you can improve your website’s canonicalization.