Google Offers Cross-Domain Support for rel=”canonical” Link Element
Google has rolled out cross-domain support for the rel=”canonical” link element, a feature that aids in resolving duplicate content problems. Previously, this element was confined to a single domain.
The Need for Cross-Domain Support
John Mueller, a Webmaster Trends Analyst with Google Zürich, shed light on the challenges some websites face. “For some sites, there are legitimate reasons to have duplicate content across different websites,” he explained. This is especially true when migrating to a new domain via a server lacking the ability to generate server-side redirects.
According to Mueller, the absence of redirect capabilities on some servers makes the rel=’canonical’ link element a practical solution. This element assists in identifying the exact URL from the desired domain to be indexed. He emphasized that while this link element acts as a hint and isn’t a stringent directive, Google endeavours to adhere to it as much as feasible.
Handling Cross-Domain Content Duplication
Mueller outlined these methods to manage cross-domain content duplication:
- Opt for your preferred domain.
- Minimize duplication within your site.
- Facilitate crawling and implement 301 (permanent) redirects when achievable.
- Utilize the cross-domain rel=”canonical” link element.
Why Cross-Domain Support Matters
Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Roundtable highlighted the importance of cross-domain support:
- Some hosting services restrict webmasters from deploying 301 redirects.
- A few site owners might lack the technical expertise to enact a 301 redirect.
- At times, webmasters might want to redirect solely search engines and not the users due to reasons like pagination, unusual filtering, or appending tracking parameters to URLs.
Guidelines for Using the Link Element
While employing the rel=”canonical” link element, the content on pages doesn’t need to be identical. Google has clarified that minor differences won’t be an issue. However, it’s crucial not to direct the rel=”canonical” to the main page of the desired site. Google recommends mapping from an old URL to a corresponding new URL for each URL from the previous site.
It’s also advised not to deploy a nonindex robots meta tag on pages having a rel=”canonical” link element. This is because such pages would have conflicting indexing statuses. One would be permissible, while the other would get blocked. Additionally, Google underlines the significance of ensuring that these pages aren’t barred from crawling via a robots.txt file. This is essential as search engine bots need to detect the rel=”canonical” link element.
The introduction of cross-domain support for the rel=”canonical” link element stands to benefit a plethora of website owners and developers. This step reflects Google’s commitment to improving and simplifying the webmaster experience.
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