SiteAud!tLint Support

Info Technical SEO

Canonical points to another URL

Severity
Info
Impact
Low
Effort to fix
Low
Issue code
canonicalised

Why it matters

This URL asks search engines to index a different URL instead of itself.

How to fix it

Confirm this is intentional, and link internally to the canonical URL rather than this one.

What this means

The page has a canonical tag pointing to a different URL. The evidence shows the target. This is an Info notice: it tells search engines this page is a copy, and that the target is the version to index. SiteAud!tLint treats the page as not indexable.

When it is correct

  • A product reachable through two categories, canonicalised to the main product URL.
  • Filtered or sorted category pages, canonicalised to the unfiltered page.
  • URLs with tracking parameters, canonicalised to the clean URL.
  • A print or alternate view, canonicalised to the main article.

When it is a mistake

  • The target is a different page, not a copy, so this page will not rank.
  • Every page points to the home page, or to page 1 of a series, from a template bug.
  • The target redirects, returns an error or has a noindex, which sends mixed signals. Check the target in the URL details.
  • The target is HTTP while the site is HTTPS, or on a staging domain.
  • An empty href, shown in the evidence as (empty href).

Google treats canonicals as a strong hint, not a command. If a canonical points somewhere that does not make sense, Google may ignore it and choose its own.

How to fix it

  1. Check the target is the right page, loads with a 200 and is indexable.
  2. If this page should rank on its own, change the canonical to point at itself. See Missing canonical tag.
  3. Keep internal links and the sitemap pointing at the canonical target, not at the copies.

Verify

Recrawl. Pages canonicalised on purpose stay in this list, which is expected. The URL details show each page's canonical and whether it matches.

How it affects your score

Info notices never lower any score. They are listed so you can confirm the behaviour is intended. A note for review. It never lowers the score.

Find the affected URLs

Open Crawl > Issues and pick Canonical points to another URL. Each affected URL is listed with its evidence, and Copy URLs or Export URLs hands the list to a developer. The issue also appears in the Action Plan, ranked by impact (low) and effort (low), and in the issues CSV under the code canonicalised. After fixing, run a new audit and use Compare to confirm the URLs moved to fixed.