# What is a canonical tag?

A canonical tag is a link element, rel="canonical", that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version of a page when the same content is available at more than one address.

- Canonical URL: https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/canonical-tag
- Topic: [Glossary](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary)
- Format: Glossary
- Publisher: Mover Marketing AI, reviewed by Nicholas DiMoro

## Learning objectives

After reading this article you will be able to:

- Define canonical URLs and the canonical tag
- Explain why Google may choose a different canonical

## What is a canonical tag?

A canonical tag is a line in a page's HTML that names the preferred URL for that content:

```html
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/local-moving">
```

It matters when the same content can be reached at several addresses, for example over both HTTP and HTTPS, or through a site's sorting and filtering options. Google calls the process of picking one "canonicalization," which it describes as "selecting the representative –canonical– URL of a piece of content."

## How does Google choose the canonical URL?

Google groups pages that look the same and picks the one it considers "objectively the most complete and useful for search users." The canonical tag is one input. Google lists the signals in order of strength:

- **Redirects**: "A strong signal that the target of the redirect should become canonical." See [what is a 301 redirect](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/301-redirect).
- **The rel="canonical" tag**: "A strong signal that the specified URL should become canonical."
- **Sitemap inclusion**: a weak signal. See [what is an XML sitemap](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/xml-sitemap).

Google adds that "indicating a canonical preference is a hint, not a rule." It can still choose another URL.

## Why does it matter for a moving company?

Google notes that duplicate URLs "may make it harder for you to track how your content performs in search results," and it may show a version the business didn't intend. Duplicates can appear when a redesign leaves old and new URLs live. Each page should point its canonical tag at its own final URL.

## FAQs

### What is a canonical tag example?

In the page's head: <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/local-moving">. It tells search engines that this URL is the preferred version of the page.

### Does Google always follow the canonical tag?

No. Google calls a canonical preference a hint, not a rule, and may choose a different page as canonical based on other signals.

## Related articles

- [What is a 301 redirect?](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/301-redirect)
- [What is an XML sitemap?](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/glossary/xml-sitemap)
- [How to redesign a website without losing rankings](https://movermarketing.ai/learn/websites/website-redesign-without-losing-rankings)

## Sources

- [Google Search Central: What is canonicalization](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/canonicalization)
- [Google Search Central: How to specify a canonical URL with rel="canonical" and other methods](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls)