Technical checks

Canonicals checks

The canonical target returned an HTTP client or server error. Point to the intended accessible canonical URL. You’ll find 15 checks in this group.

Change historyEXAMPLE / TRACE

Example evidence, review, and verification states
State	Evidence	Owner
Found	CanonicalsOriginal page and available evidence recorded	Audit
Reviewed	Decision recordedA person checked the target and proposed value	Human
Checked	Public page readLive result recorded separately	Netrix

Product illustration only. It shows how statuses work, not a customer result.

All checks in this group

Open a check to see what triggered it and what to do next.

Canonical Target Returns an Error

The canonical target returned an HTTP client or server error. Point to the intended accessible canonical URL.

canonicals_target_error

Canonical Target Redirects

The canonical target redirects. Review whether the canonical should name the final destination directly.

canonicals_target_redirect

Canonical Target Is Noindex

The canonical target carries a Googlebot-applicable noindex directive. Resolve the conflicting indexing signals.

canonicals_target_noindex

Canonical Chain

An observed canonical target canonicalizes to another URL. Review the intended final canonical and avoid intermediate hops.

canonicals_chain

Canonical Cycle

The observed canonical chain loops. Choose a consistent terminal canonical URL.

canonicals_cycle

Source and Rendered Canonicals Conflict

The source declares a canonical that is changed or removed after rendering. Keep canonical declarations consistent; adding one when the source has none is not flagged.

canonicals_source_rendered_conflict

Canonical Missing

Include a canonical link in your HTML to improve link and ranking signals for content.

canonicals_missing

Self-Referencing Canonical

While self-referencing canonicals are valid, ensure they are intentional.

self_referencing_canonical

Non-Canonical Pages

This page has a canonical pointing elsewhere. Ensure this is intentional.

non_canonical_pages

Canonical to Different Domain

Cross-domain canonicals should only be used for syndicated content or deliberate consolidation.

canonical_different_domain

Multiple Conflicting Canonicals

Pages should have only one canonical tag. Multiple canonicals confuse search engines.

canonicals_multiple_conflicting

Invalid Canonical Attribute

Canonical tags should only use rel="canonical" and href attributes. Remove invalid attributes.

canonicals_invalid_attribute

Canonical Contains Fragment URL

Canonical URLs should not contain fragments (#). Remove the fragment from the canonical URL.

canonicals_contains_fragment

Canonical Outside Head

Canonical tags must be placed within the <head> section to be recognized by search engines.

canonicals_outside_head

Unlinked Canonical

The canonical URL is not linked from anywhere on the site. Ensure canonical URLs are accessible.

canonicals_unlinked