Alternate Page Canonical Errors: How to Solve Them Quickly
Ever noticed those annoying messages in Google Search Console that say something like “Alternate page with proper canonical tag”? It sounds like some deep tech jargon, right? Don’t worry! These messages might look scary, but they’re actually pointing out something *very* fixable. Let’s break it all down simply and show you how to fix it fast.
What Is an Alternate Page Canonical Error?
Okay, let’s keep this light. Imagine you have two pages on your website that look very similar. For example:
They both show the same product. But Google gets confused. Which one is the “real” or “main” version? That’s where a canonical tag comes in. It tells Google which page should be ranked in search results.
An “Alternate page with proper canonical tag” message means: Google found a page, but you told it that another page is the main one. So Google skipped the alternate one from indexing. That’s not always bad, but if it’s done wrong, it can tank your SEO.
Why Should You Care?
If Google is confused, your pages might not show in search results. That means fewer people visiting your site. 😢
Also, let’s say lots of your pages are marked as alternate when they shouldn’t be—well then, you could lose your spot in search rankings. We don’t want that!
Common Causes of This Error
Let’s look at what usually causes this error. Here are some of the big ones:
- Duplicate content – More than one page is showing the same stuff.
- URL parameters – Like ?ref= or ?source= – they create new URLs for the same page.
- Copied pages – Maybe you copy and paste a page to test something and forget about it.
- Incorrect canonicals – You point a page to another page that isn’t exactly the same.
- Pagination issues – Multi-page articles can confuse Google if not set up right.
Yep, these little things can cause big headaches.
How to Find These Errors
This part is easy. Just follow these steps:
- Go to Google Search Console.
- Click on Pages under Indexing.
- Look for the warning called “Alternate page with proper canonical tag”.
- Click to see which URLs are affected.
Make a list of all the URLs so you can go through them one by one.
How to Fix It Fast
Here’s the part you came for. Let’s fix it. 🚀
1. Check the Canonical Tag
On the alternate page, look at the code and find this line:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://yourwebsite.com/main-page" />
Is the main page accurate? Is it really the same content? If not, change it to match the correct page or remove it.
2. Remove Duplicate Pages
If a page isn’t needed, just unpublish or delete it. Be sure to set a 301 redirect from the old page to the main one so users and search engines are guided properly.
3. Set Canonicals Correctly
If the pages are similar but not exactly the same, they should have self-referencing canonicals.
That means this line:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://yourwebsite.com/page1" />
Should appear on https://yourwebsite.com/page1, not pointing to another slightly different page. Make sure each important page tells Google it is the main one.
4. Check URL Parameters
If Google is crawling a lot of URLs like:
- https://yourwebsite.com/page?ref=facebook
- https://yourwebsite.com/page?utm=campaign
You can tell Google to ignore URL parameters in Search Console by going to:
- Settings
- URL Parameters
- Add rules to ignore tracking parameters
Less clutter, more clarity for bots.
5. Use Canonical Tags for Pagination (If Needed)
If you have multi-page articles, use the right tags. Like this:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://yourwebsite.com/article" />
Or better yet, consider using rel=”next” and rel=”prev” tags if content flows across pages. Though Google has said they don’t use them anymore, some SEO pros still believe it’s helpful for structure.
6. Use Tools to Save Time
Don’t want to check each page one by one? Use tools like:
- Screaming Frog – Scan pages and see all canonicals in one report.
- Sitebulb – Great visualization and detailed info.
- Ahrefs/Semrush – Show problems with duplicate content and indexing.
Quick Pro Tips
- Always self-canonical important pages to avoid confusion.
- Redirect unused or test pages to relevant URLs.
- Use robots.txt to block pages you don’t want crawled (carefully!).
Don’t overdo canonical tags either. Keep them clean and consistent.
Still Confused? Here’s a Real World Example
Let’s say you run a cupcake shop. 🍰
You have these two pages:
- /chocolate-cupcake
- /?product=choco-cupcake
They look the same. The second one is meant for tracking. But it still gets indexed.
You add this to the second page:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://yourwebsite.com/chocolate-cupcake" />
Now Google knows to ignore the tracking URL for indexing. Sweet!
Wrapping It Up
Alternate page canonical errors may sound like monsters under the bed. But once you shine a light on them, you’ll see they’re no big deal.
Remember:
- Check all canonicals
- Fix duplicate URLs
- Use redirects and tags wisely
Fixing them not only helps crawlers but keeps your site lean, clean, and SEO-queen! 👑
Now go be the hero your website needs! 🛠️