How to Add Canonical Tags in Shopify for Better SEO

Want to improve your Shopify store’s SEO? Start with canonical tags.

Canonical tags help search engines identify the main URL when duplicate or similar pages exist on your site. Shopify automatically adds them, but customizing these tags can further protect your rankings and streamline your SEO.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Why you need canonical tags: Shopify generates multiple URLs for the same product (e.g., product pages vs. collection-specific URLs), which can harm SEO by creating duplicate content.
How to add them: Edit the theme.liquid file in your Shopify theme and add the <link rel="canonical"> tag in the <head> section.
Testing your setup: Use tools like Google Search Console or inspect your page source to ensure proper implementation.
Advanced tips: Manage paginated and filtered pages with custom canonical tags to avoid SEO dilution.

Duplicate Content On Shopify Stores – Using Canonicals & NoIndex

How Duplicate Content Affects Shopify Stores

Shopify’s structure often leads to duplicate URLs, which can negatively impact your store’s SEO. Knowing how these duplicates arise and the problems they cause is key to keeping your SEO on track.

How Shopify Creates Duplicate URLs

Duplicate content on Shopify usually stems from how the platform organizes and displays products. For example, when you add a product to a collection, Shopify creates an extra URL for it. Let’s say you’re selling a grey suede jacket. That jacket might be accessible through these two URLs:

Direct product URL: yourshopifystore.com/products/grey-suede-jacket
Collection URL: yourshopifystore.com/collections/jackets/products/grey-suede-jacket

Pagination can also lead to duplicates. A collection might appear both at:

https://sherpas.design/blogs/e-commerce/
https://sherpas.design/blogs/e-commerce?page=1

Similarly, product tags can generate additional URLs. For instance, if you sell silk shirts and use color tags, you could end up with URLs like:

yourshopifystore.com/collections/silk-shirts/red
yourshopifystore.com/collections/silk-shirts/blue

These URLs are just variations of the main collection page: yourshopifystore.com/collections/silk-shirts.

On top of that, Shopify creates two versions of your website: one using your primary domain and another under the Shopify-managed "myshopify" domain. Social sharing can also introduce URL parameters that create duplicates. While Shopify does add self-referencing canonical tags to URLs without parameters, these duplicates can still dilute your SEO performance.

How Duplicate Content Hurts SEO

Duplicate content can seriously harm your SEO. When search engines find multiple versions of the same content, they often struggle to decide which URL should rank higher. This confusion dilutes rankings, making it harder for your store to appear in search results.

Another issue is link equity dilution. Backlinks, which help boost rankings, get divided among duplicate URLs instead of consolidating on one page. This weakens the overall SEO value of your content. Search engines may also view duplicate content as low-quality or less trustworthy, further hurting your rankings.

User experience takes a hit too. When visitors repeatedly encounter the same content across different URLs, they’re less likely to stay on your site, explore more pages, or complete a purchase.

Finally, duplicate content wastes your crawl budget. Search engines spend time indexing duplicate pages instead of discovering new, valuable content, which limits your store’s visibility.

Without proper canonicalization, these issues can snowball, leading to poor rankings, reduced organic traffic, and ultimately, a negative impact on your store’s revenue and growth.

How to Add Canonical Tags in Shopify

Adding canonical tags to your Shopify store involves editing your theme’s code. Specifically, you’ll need to modify the theme.liquid file, which controls the structure of your store.

How to Access the `theme.liquid` File

Before making any changes, back up your theme to avoid losing your work if something goes wrong. Once you’re ready, log in to your Shopify admin dashboard and follow these steps:

Go to Online Store > Themes.
Locate the theme you want to edit and click the three dots (…) next to it.
From the dropdown, select Edit code.

This opens Shopify’s code editor. On the left, you’ll see a list of theme files. Look for the Layout folder and expand it to find the theme.liquid file. Select it to view and edit its contents. Files that have been modified will show a small dot next to their names.

How to Insert Canonical Tags

Once you’ve opened the theme.liquid file, locate the <head> section of the HTML code. This is where the canonical tag belongs. Scroll through the code until you find the opening <head> tag, which is usually near the top.

Add the following code snippet just before the closing </head> tag:

<link rel="canonical" href="{{ canonical_url }}" /> </head>

Here, {{ canonical_url }} is a Shopify Liquid placeholder that automatically generates the correct canonical URL for each page. After adding the code, click Save to apply the changes. Your store will now include canonical tags on all pages.

How to Test and Verify Canonical Tags

It’s crucial to confirm that your canonical tags are working properly. Here’s how you can test them:

Check the Page Source: Open any page on your Shopify store, right-click, and choose View Page Source or Inspect. Use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to search for "canonical." You should find the canonical tag in the <head> section, with the href attribute pointing to the current page’s URL.
Use Google Search Console: Go to the URL Inspection tool in Search Console, enter the page URL, and review the results. It will display both the "user-declared canonical" (your configured URL) and the "Google-selected canonical" (the URL Google considers the official version). If these match, your implementation is correct. If not, there may be an issue to resolve.
Run an SEO Audit: Use SEO tools to crawl your site and identify any pages missing canonical tags or with incorrect configurations.

"If there are no technical reasons not to do a redirect, you should always do a redirect. If you cannot redirect because that would break the user experience or be otherwise problematic, set a canonical URL." – Joost de Valk, SEO Expert

Next, dive into advanced scenarios, such as handling canonical tags for paginated or filtered pages.

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Advanced Canonical Tag Scenarios

Now that we’ve covered the basics of canonical tags, let’s dive into some advanced strategies tailored for Shopify’s more intricate URL setups. While Shopify’s default canonical tags work well for most situations, there are times when custom solutions are necessary to address more complex scenarios, particularly for managing duplicate content and ensuring search engines interpret your URLs correctly.

Paginated Collection Pages

In Shopify, pagination automatically kicks in when a collection contains more products than can fit on a single page. By default, Shopify assigns the canonical tag for all paginated pages (e.g., /collections/shoes?page=2, /collections/shoes?page=3) to the first page of the collection, /collections/shoes.

While this setup works in many cases, it can sometimes cause SEO issues. For instance, Henry from wrapsify.com faced problems with paginated URLs. To resolve this, he updated the canonical tag logic in the theme.liquid file, replacing the default code with:

<link rel="canonical" href="{{ canonical_url | split: '?' | first}}">

This adjustment ensured that all paginated pages pointed back to the original collection URL, like https://wrapsify.com/collections/motorcycle-gifts, effectively resolving the issue for both blogs and collections.

For even better SEO management of paginated pages, consider adding rel="prev" and rel="next" tags to define the relationship between sequential pages.

Filtered Collection Pages

Filtered collection pages can generate multiple URLs, which, if not managed correctly, can dilute SEO value. These URLs often include parameters, such as /collections/product-series?filter.p.product_type=Product+X. Here are two strategies for handling them:

Self-Canonicalization: This approach is ideal if you want filtered pages to serve as standalone landing pages for organic traffic. For example, to canonicalize a filtered page to itself, you can add the following code to your theme.liquid file:
```
{% if template == 'collection' and collection.handle == 'product-series' and current_query contains 'filter' %}   <link rel="canonical" href="{{ collection.url }}{{ current_query }}"> {% endif %} 
```
Canonicalizing to the Main Page: If you prefer to consolidate SEO value, you can direct all filtered pages back to the main collection URL. For instance, URLs like /collections/cbd-pour-animaux/dosages-legers and /collections/cbd-pour-animaux/dosages-intenses can be canonicalized to /collections/cbd-pour-animaux by using Liquid code to strip filter parameters from the canonical tag.

For more complex filtering needs, using Shopify metafields can provide a more tailored solution. Metafields allow you to define custom canonical URLs for specific scenarios, offering flexibility when managing unique conditions.

Default vs. Custom Canonical Tags

When deciding between Shopify’s default canonical tags and custom implementations, it’s important to weigh your store’s needs and complexity. Here’s a quick comparison:

Aspect	Default Canonical Tags	Custom Canonical Tags
Implementation	Automatically added by Shopify	Requires theme modification or apps
Technical Knowledge	None required	Moderate to advanced coding skills
Maintenance	Minimal upkeep	May require updates with theme changes
Flexibility	Limited to Shopify’s logic	Full control over canonical URLs
Risk Level	Low risk	Higher if implemented incorrectly
Best For	Standard stores with simple setups	Stores with complex URL needs

Shopify’s default canonical tags are sufficient for most stores, automatically addressing common duplicate content issues. For example, product pages with collection parameters like https://hiutdenim.co.uk/collections/do-one-thing-well/products/yearbook-6 are canonicalized to the main product URL, https://hiutdenim.co.uk/products/yearbook-6.

However, custom canonical tags become essential for stores with intricate filtering systems, numerous product variants, or unique URL structures that Shopify’s default system can’t fully address. Before diving into custom solutions, assess whether your store truly requires this added complexity. Often, Shopify’s built-in features and thoughtful URL structuring can resolve most challenges without additional effort.

Best Practices and Common Mistakes

After implementing canonical tags in Shopify, it’s essential to follow some key practices to keep your SEO efforts on track. Even a well-thought-out setup can go off course if common mistakes slip through.

Common Canonical Tag Mistakes

A frequent misstep is pointing canonical tags to incorrect URLs. Always ensure the canonical tag references a clean, authoritative URL – avoid linking to pages that lead to 404 errors, redirects, or include unnecessary tracking parameters like ?utm_source=. Misconfigured tags can waste your crawl budget and slow down indexing.

Another issue arises when canonical tags reference redirected pages. For example, if Page A redirects to Page B, the canonical tag should point directly to Page B. Skipping this step creates unnecessary redirect chains, which can confuse search engines.

Misusing canonical tags on non-duplicate content is another pitfall. These tags are specifically meant to handle duplicate or near-duplicate content. Applying them to unrelated pages can mislead search engines and may even result in important pages being excluded from indexing.

Canonical tags should always be placed in the <head> section of your HTML, and each page should have only one canonical tag. Additionally, ensure uniform canonicalization across mobile and desktop versions so that all versions of a page point to the same URL.

Finally, always use absolute URLs in your canonical tags. This means including the full domain and ensuring the correct protocol (HTTPS). Using relative URLs can create indexing problems, especially if your site is accessed through different subdomains or protocols.

To stay ahead, perform regular SEO audits to catch and resolve these issues early.

How to Monitor SEO Health Over Time

Once you’ve avoided these common mistakes, ongoing monitoring of your canonical tag setup is crucial. Tools like Google Search Console can help by showing both the canonical URL you’ve declared and the one Google has chosen to use. If there’s a mismatch, it’s a sign something needs attention.

Regular SEO audits are especially important after making structural changes to your site. Use tools like MozBar or other site audit software, or simply check the page source manually to confirm the proper implementation of the <link rel="canonical" href="URL"> tag.

Monitoring organic traffic is another way to ensure your canonical tags are working as intended. Self-referencing canonical tags – where each page points to itself – can also help prevent duplicate content issues.

To keep your setup in top shape, establish a monthly review routine. Focus on new products, collections, and any recently updated pages to ensure everything aligns with your SEO goals as your store evolves.

Conclusion: Canonical Tags for Better SEO in Shopify

Canonical tags play a key role in managing duplicate content and boosting SEO for Shopify stores. By refining your approach to canonical tags, you can help search engines better understand and rank your content effectively.

For straightforward setups, Shopify’s default canonical tags usually suffice. However, handling more complex duplicate content issues often requires customization. This might involve creating metafields or tweaking theme files. These adjustments give you greater control over which pages search engines prioritize, ensuring your most important content gets the attention it deserves.

Pairing canonical tags with strategic redirects can further enhance your SEO efforts. As Joost de Valk, an SEO expert, advises:

"If there are no technical reasons not to do a redirect, you should always do a redirect. If you cannot redirect because that would break the user experience or be otherwise problematic, set a canonical URL."

To keep your strategy effective, regular monitoring is essential. Tools like Google Search Console allow you to audit canonical URLs, especially after making significant changes to your store structure. By catching potential issues early, you can prevent minor glitches from escalating into major SEO challenges.

The technical details matter: using absolute URLs, setting up self-referencing canonicals, and ensuring only one canonical tag per page are all essential steps. When implemented correctly and maintained consistently, canonical tags provide a strong foundation for improving your store’s visibility in search engines and supporting its long-term growth. This wraps up our guide to managing duplicate content on Shopify with confidence.

FAQs

What are the risks of using incorrect canonical tags in my Shopify store?

Using the wrong canonical tags in your Shopify store can seriously impact your SEO. When these tags aren’t set up correctly, search engines might end up indexing duplicate content from different URLs. This dilutes your ranking signals and can push your site lower in search results.

On top of that, if canonical tags are missing or don’t match properly, search engines can get confused about which URL to treat as the main one. This confusion might lead them to prioritize the wrong version of a page, reducing the visibility of your most important content. To avoid these headaches, take the time to carefully review your canonical tag setup and keep your SEO on track.

How do I properly add and manage canonical tags in my Shopify store to boost SEO?

To make the most of canonical tags in your Shopify store and boost your SEO, keep these tips in mind:

Add self-referencing canonical tags to every page. This tells search engines which version of the URL is the "main" one.
Never use noindex tags on canonical URLs. Doing so can confuse search engines and undermine your SEO efforts.
Perform regular checks on your canonical tags to ensure they’re pointing to the correct, preferred page versions.

Following these steps helps search engines prioritize the right content, minimizes duplicate content problems, and enhances your site’s visibility in search results. Getting your canonical tags right is a crucial part of optimizing your Shopify store for search engines.

When should I use custom canonical tags instead of Shopify’s default settings to manage duplicate content?

When dealing with duplicate or very similar content across multiple URLs in Shopify, using custom canonical tags can be a smart move. These tags help you tell search engines which version of a page should be considered the primary one. This can be particularly helpful in situations like:

Product pages listed in multiple collections
Duplicate URLs generated by pagination

By adding custom canonical tags, you ensure search engines focus on the right page for indexing. This reduces confusion and helps boost your site’s SEO performance.

Duplicate Content On Shopify Stores – Using Canonicals & NoIndex