If you’re running a Shopify store, you’ve likely encountered the term “canonical issues” at some point. These issues can impact your website’s SEO and overall performance. But fear not! In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of fixing canonical issues on your Shopify store to ensure your website is in top-notch shape for search engines.

What are Canonical Issues?

Before diving into the solutions, let’s understand what canonical issues are. In simple terms, canonical issues arise when search engines identify multiple URLs with similar or identical content. This can confuse search engines and potentially harm your website’s search rankings.

Identifying Canonical Issues

The first step is to identify whether your Shopify store has canonical issues. You can use online tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO tools to scan your website for duplicate content. Look for URLs that point to the same or similar content.

Fixing Canonical Issues in Shopify

Now that we know what we’re dealing with, let’s explore how to fix canonical issues in your Shopify store:

1. Set Preferred Domain

Ensure that your preferred domain (www or non-www) is set in your Shopify store settings. Go to your Shopify admin panel, navigate to Settings > Online Store > Domains, and choose your preferred domain. This helps eliminate duplicate content caused by different versions of your URL.

2. Redirect www to non-www (or vice versa)

To further consolidate your URLs, set up a 301 redirect from the non-preferred version of your domain to the preferred one. For example, if you prefer the non-www version, create a redirect from www.yourstore.com to yourstore.com.

3. Use Shopify’s Canonical Tag

Shopify automatically adds canonical tags to your pages, but it’s crucial to verify this. Inspect the HTML of your pages and make sure the canonical tag points to the preferred version of your URL. For instance, it should look like this:<link rel="canonical" href="https://yourstore.com/page" />


4. Handle Product Variants Correctly

If your products have variants (like different sizes or colors), make sure that each variant has a unique URL. Avoid creating separate URLs for each variant, as this can lead to canonical issues.

5. Address Pagination

For pages with multiple pages of content (e.g., product listings), implement proper pagination techniques. Use rel=prev and rel=next tags to signal the relationship between paginated pages, helping search engines understand the structure.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can effectively resolve canonical issues in your Shopify store, ensuring a smooth and search engine-friendly experience. Regularly monitor your website for duplicate content and stay proactive in maintaining a healthy online presence. Happy selling!