Canonical URL Points to Non-Indexable Page

Description

Canonical tags should point to pages that can be indexed by search engines. Pointing to non-indexable pages defeats the purpose of canonicalization.

How to Fix

Ensure your canonical URLs point to indexable pages. Check that the canonical destination isn't blocked by robots.txt, doesn't contain noindex directives, and is accessible to search engines.

Detailed Analysis

Canonical URL Points to Non-Indexable Page

1. What Causes This Issue

The issue arises when the canonical tag on a webpage points to another webpage that is set to be non-indexable by search engines. This can occur due to:

• Misconfiguration: The canonical tag might have been improperly set to a non-indexable URL, typically due to oversight or misunderstanding of canonicalization.
• Dynamic URL Handling: Sometimes, CMS or dynamic URL generation can inadvertently set canonical links to non-indexable dynamic URLs.
• Content Management Errors: Copy-pasting errors or incorrect manual entry of URLs in the canonical tag.
• Intentional Restrictions: The target page might be intentionally set to noindex due to outdated content, content duplication, or privacy concerns, but its canonical tag was overlooked.

2. Why It's Important

Canonical tags are used to signal preferred versions of pages to search engines, helping to consolidate duplicate content, manage indexing, and channel link equity. When canonical tags point to non-indexable pages:

• Wasted Crawl Budget: Search engines might waste resources attempting to access non-indexable pages.
• Diluted SEO Signals: Link equity, relevancy, and authority signals are not effectively passed to the intended pages.
• Indexing Issues: Search engines may ignore canonical tags that point to non-indexable URLs, leading to potential indexing of undesired duplicate content.
• Ranking Impacts: Incorrect canonicalization can impact the visibility and ranking of relevant content in search results.

3. Best Practices to Prevent It

• Audit and Monitor: Regularly audit canonical tags using SEO tools to ensure they point to indexable pages. Tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush, or Ahrefs can be used for this purpose.
• Consistent Noindex Management: Ensure that pages intended to be canonicalized are not set to noindex, or if they must be, adjust the canonical tag accordingly.
• CMS Configuration: Configure your CMS to handle canonical tags correctly, especially when dealing with dynamic or parameterized URLs.
• Education: Train your content and development teams about the importance of canonical tags and the implications of pointing to non-indexable pages.
• Version Control: Use a staging environment to test changes before they go live, ensuring canonical links point to appropriate pages.

4. Examples of Good and Bad Cases

Bad Case

• A product page with URL /product-blue-shirt has a canonical tag pointing to /product-red-shirt, which is marked as noindex due to being out of stock. This configuration prevents search engines from effectively determining the preferred URL for indexing.

Good Case

• A blog post page with URL /blog/seo-tips has a canonical tag pointing to /blog/seo-tips, ensuring that despite being accessible via multiple URLs (like /blog/seo-tips?source=newsletter), search engines recognize and index the primary content URL.

By adhering to best practices and understanding the importance of correct canonicalization, you can ensure that your website's SEO is optimized, preventing common pitfalls associated with canonical tags pointing to non-indexable pages.