Alternate page with proper canonical tag, explained

Alternate page with proper canonical tag means the page names another URL as its canonical (the main version), and Google accepted that. So Google indexes the canonical page and leaves this alternate out. In most cases this is exactly what you set up, and there is nothing to fix.

What does “Alternate page with proper canonical tag” mean?

Google’s help page describes it as a page that is an alternate of another page Google recognizes as canonical. The alternate points to the canonical correctly, and the canonical is indexed. It is the happy path of canonical tags: you told Google which URL to use and it listened.

<!-- On https://shop.example/shoes?color=blue -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://shop.example/shoes" />

Which URLs normally show up here?

• URLs with tracking, sorting or filter parameters.
• AMP versions and separate mobile URLs.
• Print-friendly versions.
• The same product reachable through several category paths.
• Syndicated or duplicate copies on your own domain.

When is it a problem?

When a page that should rank on its own declares a different page as canonical. Google then indexes the other page and this one never appears. Typical causes, most likely first:

1. A template or plugin setting that sets every page’s canonical to the homepage or to a category page.
2. Pagination pointing to page 1, hiding products or posts listed only on later pages.
3. Copied page templates that kept another page’s canonical URL.
4. Staging or old-domain URLs left in the canonical tag after a migration.

How do I fix a wrong canonical?

1. 1. Scan the example URLs for pages that should rank on their own

   Most entries are parameter URLs, AMP or print versions, or variants that should point elsewhere. Look for anything that is a distinct page you want in search, such as a separate product, article or location page.

2. 2. Inspect any suspicious URL

   Run URL Inspection on it. Under Page indexing, compare the user-declared canonical with the Google-selected canonical. If both name a different page, Google is following your tag.

3. 3. Find where the wrong canonical comes from

   Look at the page source for the link rel=canonical element and the response headers for a Link header. Common culprits are a theme or SEO plugin setting, a template that always points to the first page of a series or to the homepage, or a copy-pasted tag.

4. 4. Point the canonical at the page itself

   For pages that should be indexed, set a self-referencing canonical with the page's own absolute URL. Keep internal links and the sitemap pointing to that same URL.

5. 5. Request indexing

   Use Request indexing in URL Inspection for the corrected pages. They should move out of this status after Google recrawls them.

How do I check the result?

URL Inspection on the corrected page should show the user-declared canonical and the Google-selected canonical both as the page itself, and “URL is on Google”. Validation in the report is not needed for this status, since correct entries stay listed.

How long does it take?

Google has to recrawl the page to see the new tag, typically days to a few weeks; requesting indexing can speed up the most important ones.

Check a page’s canonical tag, robots rules and status code in one go with the free SEO checker. If Google picked a different URL from the one you declared, see Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user.