Checks / Links, canonical and speed
No canonical URL
Without a canonical, duplicates of this page can compete with each other.
canonical_missing · Links, canonical and speed · Notice
What triggers it
A page has no rel="canonical" link.
What to change
Add <link rel="canonical"> pointing at the page's preferred URL.
Example
HTML to put in the page:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/shoes/blue-trail">How to confirm the fix
- View Source: <link rel="canonical"> points at the page's own URL
- Press 'Re-check 1 page'
How common it is
We have not measured how common this is on a sample of sites. Counts appear here when a study covers it.
About this check
| Check ID | canonical_missing |
|---|---|
| Report section | Links, canonical and speed |
| Severity | Notice |
| How it is decided | Measured: read directly from the page or the server's response. |
| Added | Before 19 Oct 2026 (versions 1 and 2), or a site-wide check with no version date yet |
| Status | Measured in every report |
| Report gives the code | Yes, for each affected page |
Settings by platform
Where the setting lives on a few platforms, from each platform's own help page, read on 27 October 2026. On any other server, apply the fix box above.
WordPress (Yoast SEO)
WordPress (Yoast SEO) adds a canonical tag to every page and post by itself, from the page's own address. To set a different address for one page, open it and use:
In WordPress (Yoast SEO): Yoast SEO sidebar → Advanced → Canonical URL. (WordPress (Yoast SEO) help page)
Wix
Wix creates a default canonical URL for all of your pages. If the check still fires, open the page in a private window and look for it in the page source. To change one:
In Wix: Pages & Menu → More Actions → SEO basics → Advanced SEO → Additional Tags → canonical → Edit. (Wix help page)
Shopify
Shopify adds canonical tags to pages by itself. If the check still fires, open the page in a private window and look for it in the page source. (Shopify help page)
Related checks
- www and non-www both serve the site
- Link to a page that no longer exists
- Content-Security-Policy allows inline scripts
- Page has no internal links (dead end)
See whether it applies to your site
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