Unique Original Articles » Canonical Link: Answer to Duplicate Content Issues

Duplicate content has been a recurring concern for Google and other search engines, particularly since this has been a means employed by several online entrepreneurs in their campaigns.

Now search engines came up with a way to address this issue by putting a element in a canonical page. A canonical page is the chosen and selected version of a set of pages with highly the same content.

That explains why it’s usual for users to find pages that have almost the same content. They only vary in quite simple means such as alphabetization, product listing by price, or by rate.

It used to be that when Google finds out that several pages have the same content, it chooses just one to show up in the search engine. Recently, webmasters are given the opportunity to convey to Google the pages that they want to be prioritized. The rule is simple. They add the element and put in the attribute rel=”canonical” to the non- canonical page’s section.

The attribute rel=”canonical” is suggestive, not definite. This allows webmasters to inform Google the page version that they want to be considered as canonical. Google will consider this together with its judgment on which pages it considers to have the most relevant content.

The rel=”canonical” attribute is compatible with both relevant and absolute links although it is highly advisable to use absolute links to minimize potential confusion or difficulties.

Google will find all means to choose a canonical page if ever the attribute rel=”canonical” leads to a blank page or if there are more two or three canonical pages chosen by the webmaster. Canonicalization suggestions are restricted solely across sub domains but not to a different one. To migrate to an entirely different domain, having permanent redirect links is highly recommended.

This ensures that every webmaster has the right to choose content that is more relevant to his business.
Jeff Beale is a marketing consultant with Jazar Dezign and a marketing mentor to several
businesses in the areas of Internet marketing. Areas of expertise are search engine
optimization, search engine marketing, web design and social media marketing. Visit his
blog at www.businessmarketingexperts.com. Ava Villareal is the content adviser of Jeff
Beale.
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