Canonical URL checker
Enter a page and this tool reads its canonical tag and any canonical Link header, then compares them with the address the page actually loads from. It flags missing canonicals, conflicting ones, relative paths, http links and canonicals that point to a different page.
It’s for makers whose page isn’t showing in search, or is showing under the wrong address. A canonical that points elsewhere is one of the most common reasons a good page is left out.
Free with a ShipScroll account.
How to use the Canonical URL Checker
- Enter the page address, the way people link to it.
- Press Check. Redirects are followed, and the page they end on is what’s checked.
- Look at where the canonical points. For most pages, it should be the page itself.
- Fix anything in red, deploy, and check again.
What a canonical is for
The same content often lives at several addresses: with and without www, with tracking parameters, or sorted differently. A canonical tells search engines which one is the main version, so they show that one and combine signals from the rest.
It’s a strong hint, not a command. Google can choose a different page if your canonical conflicts with redirects, sitemaps or internal links. Keeping all of those consistent is what makes it stick.
Common canonical mistakes
- Every page pointing at the home page, often from a template default, which asks Google to drop the rest.
- Two canonical tags with different addresses, so Google may ignore both.
- A canonical to the http:// version on an https site.
- A relative path that resolves to the wrong place on some pages.
- Mixing trailing slashes, so the canonical and the real address never quite match.
Example: the pagination slip
A blog sets page 2, 3 and 4 of its archive to canonicalise to page 1. Search engines are now asked to ignore the posts listed only on later pages. Each page in a series should usually name itself as canonical.
Questions
Does every page need a canonical tag?
It isn’t required, but a self-referencing canonical is cheap insurance against tracking parameters and duplicate addresses. Without one, search engines pick for you.
Can I set a canonical without editing HTML?
Yes, with a Link header such as Link: <https://example.com/page>; rel="canonical". It’s handy for PDFs. This tool reads both, and warns if they disagree.
Should the canonical be a full address?
Google accepts relative paths, but recommends full addresses. They avoid mistakes when the same template is used at different depths or on different hosts.
I set a canonical. Why does Google show another address?
Because it treats the canonical as a hint and weighs it against redirects, internal links and your sitemap. Make those agree with your canonical, and Search Console’s URL Inspection will show which one Google picked.
Related tools
- Redirect CheckerFollow every hop from an address to the page it ends on, with each status code.
- Meta Tags CheckerSee the title, description, canonical and share tags a page actually serves.
- Hreflang CheckerCheck a page’s language versions, their codes and whether they link back.