Canonical URL
A canonical URL is an HTML link element that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version of a page, consolidating ranking signals when multiple URLs serve similar content.
When the same content is accessible via multiple URLs (query parameters, trailing slashes, HTTP vs HTTPS), search engines may treat them as duplicates and split ranking signals. The `<link rel="canonical" href="...">` tag designates one URL as the source of truth.
Self-referencing canonicals (pointing to the current page) are a best practice — they prevent accidental duplication from UTM parameters or session IDs. Cross-domain canonicals can consolidate syndicated content back to the original.
Indxel checks that every page has a canonical URL and that it resolves correctly. Missing or broken canonicals are one of the most common technical SEO issues in modern web apps.
Example
// Next.js App Router
export const metadata = {
alternates: {
canonical: "https://example.com/blog/my-post",
},
};
// HTML equivalent
// <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/blog/my-post" />Related terms
Duplicate Content
Duplicate content refers to identical or substantially similar content appearing at multiple URLs, which can confuse search engines about which version to index and rank.
301 Redirect
A 301 redirect is an HTTP status code that permanently redirects one URL to another, telling search engines to transfer ranking signals (link equity) to the new URL.
Noindex
Noindex is a robots meta tag directive that instructs search engines to exclude a page from their search index, preventing it from appearing in search results.
Stop shipping broken SEO
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