Upload
sean-butcher
View
1.773
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Sean Butcher
I eat lots of
burgers (often for
free)!(Sneaky link: www.beersandburgers.co.uk)
#BrightonSEO@seanbutcher
<link rel=“canonical” href=“http://www.exam
ple.com” />@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
About the canonical tag
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
About the canonical tag
Things to consider
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
About the canonical tag
Things to consider
Alternative methods@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
“If your website generates and displays the same (or very similar)
content on multiple URLs, the canonical tag could be used to
bucket them together and assign one master (canonical) version.”
(https://moz.com/blog/complete-guide-to-rel-canonical-how-to-and-why-not)
http://example.comhttp://www.example.comhttp://www.example.com/
http://www.example.com/index
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://example.comhttp://www.example.comhttp://www.example.com/
http://www.example.com/index
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
https://www.example.com/page/?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=easterpromo&utm_medium
=cpc
https://www.example.com/page@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
https://www.example.com/shoes/?colour-brown&size=
9&price=under-40
https://www.example.com/shoes/?colour-brown
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
https://m.example.com
https://m.example.com/hats
https://example.com
https://example.com/hats
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Other options:
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Redirects (301s)
NoIndex
Parameter exclusion@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
So why use a
canonical?
#BrightonSEO@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Development resource
Server load?
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Make other versions accessible?
https://moz.com/blog/arent-301s-302s-canonicals-all-basically-the-same-whiteboard-friday
Things to consider
@seanbutcher
Make sure the canonical version IS
the canonical version@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Canonical DOES NOT point to a 404/301/302
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
The canonical version is listed in your XML sitemap
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Use absolute, NOT relative URLs
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Internally link to canonical
URL@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Related to indexation - not crawling
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
It’s a HINT, not a DIRECTIVE
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher
“DYK the rel-canonical is a
hint, not a directive. It’s a very strong hint,
but may still be outweighed by other
signals.”Gary Illyes - Mar 23rd 2017
More than one canonical tag
on a page@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
The canonical tag isn’t in the
<head>@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Most importantly...
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
For a canonical to be effective, it should be used on highly similar content
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
3 canonical experiments
on burger blog
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/burger-review-7bone-southampton/
Ranked #5 for ‘review of
7bone southampton’
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/review-of-the-browns-burger-browns-brasserie-bar-in-o
xford/
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/burger-review-7bone-southampton/
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/review-of-the-browns-burger-brown
s-brasserie-bar-in-oxford//" />@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
No change in URLs
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Now rank #6 (-1) for ‘review
of 7bone southampton’
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/review-of-five-guys-reading-oracle/
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Ranked #3 for ‘review
of five guys
reading’
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/five-guys-burger-review-revisited/
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/review-of-five-guys-reading-oracle/
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/five-guys-burger-review-revisited/"
/>@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
No change in URLs
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Now rank #4 (-1) for ‘review of five guys reading’
@seanbutcher
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/sunday-lunchtime-treat-oxfords-atomic-burger/
Ranked #20 for
‘review of atomic burger oxford’
@seanbutcher
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/review-atomic-burger-oxford/
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/sunday-lunchtime-treat-oxfords-atomic-
burger/
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.beersandburgers.co.
uk/review-atomic-burger-oxford/" />
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
URL has changed
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Now rank #11 (+9)
for ‘review of atomic
burger oxford’
URL only changed when content matched
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
URL only changed when content matched
Improvement in ranking
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
URL only changed when content matched
Improvement in rankingConsolidation of two pages
Freshness?Better keyword targeting?
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Alternative methods
Non-HTML files
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
PDF accessed from multiple URLs (e.g. www./non www.)
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Duplicated with HTML page
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
“Users don’t always like being sent to a PDF. If you can make your content in
a Web-Native format, that’s often a little more
useful to users.”
- Matt Cuttshttps://www.stonetemple.com/matt-cutts-interviewed-
by-eric-enge-2/
HTTP header support launched in 2011 by
Google -Still massively
underusedhttps://webmasters.googleblog.com/2011/06/supporting-relcanonical-http-headers.html
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Screaming Frog #2 for ‘search engine optimisation’
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
“Google’s made a change to try & get indexed. Looks like they added a HTTP canonical
to their PDF. Currently still canonical”
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Screaming Frog #1 (above Google)
Use of a 302 redirect to
location
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://searchengineland.com/googles-seo-guide-search-rankings-hijacked-270362
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO@seanbutcher
We may (almost definitely) want to use
this guy
Via .htaccess<Files "guide.pdf">Header add Link ‘<https://example.com/guide>; rel="canonical’</Files>
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Via .htaccess<Files "cheeseburger.jpg">Header add Link ‘<https://example.com/cheeseburger-review>; rel="canonical’</Files>
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IMG_20160807_1402
00-1.jpg
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/burger-craft-exmouth-arms-
review/
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Advanced methods
Rewrite ^(.+)\.pdf /pdf.php?file=$1
RewriteRule ([^/]+)\.pdf$ - [E=FILENAME:$1]
Resources: https://moz.com/blog/how-to-advanced-relcanonical-http-headers
https://moz.com/blog/htaccess-file-snippets-for-seos
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Check your HTTP headers:Google Chrome - InspectFirefox - Live HTTP HeadersWeb SnifferScreaming Frog
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
URL view - HTTP Canonical
URL view - HTTP Canonical
Directives tab
Paginated series
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=2
http://www.example.com/jobs/?page=3
<link rel=“canonical” href=“http://www.example.com
/jobs” />
http://www.example.com/jobs
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=2
http://www.example.com/jobs/?page=3
<link rel=“canonical” href=“http://www.example.com
/jobs” />
“Before the introduction of pagination support, this method
was used to consolidate all authority across the set of pages to
the first page, but Google now advise against this method.”
(https://www.deepcrawl.com/blog/best-practice/pagination-for-seo-as-easy-as-1-or-2-or-3/)
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2013/04/5-common-mistakes-with-relcanonical.html
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2013/04/5-common-mistakes-with-relcanonical.html
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
For a canonical to be effective, it should be used on highly similar content
@seanbutcher
Two options:
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Two options:
Create a ‘View All’ page - canonicalise
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=1
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=2
http://www.example.com/jobs/?page=3
<link rel=“canonical” href=“http://www.example.com/jobs?view-all”/>
“User testing has taught us that
searchers much prefer the view-all, single-page version
of content over a component page”
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2011/09/view-all-in-search-results.html
Could cause other
issues (e.g. speed)
Two options:
Create a ‘View All’ page - canonicalise
Use paginated series markup
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs
<link rel="next" href="http://www.example.com/jo
bs?page=2” />
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=2
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=2
<link rel="prev" href="http://www.example.com/jobs”
/>
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=2
<link rel="prev" href="http://www.example.com/jobs”
/><link rel="next"
href="http://www.example.com/jobs?page=3” />
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
“If you choose to include (paginated markup) you’re giving Google a strong hint
that you’d like us to:https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2011/09/pagination-with-relnext-and-relprev.html
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
1) Consolidate indexing properties, such as links,
from the component pages/URLs to the series.
@seanbutcher
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2011/09/pagination-with-relnext-and-relprev.html
#BrightonSEO
2) Send users to the most relevant page/URL—typically the first page of the series.”
@seanbutcher
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2011/09/pagination-with-relnext-and-relprev.html
#BrightonSEO
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/139066
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.example.com/jobs?page=2
<link rel=“canonical” href=“http://www.example.com/jobs?
page=2” />
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Cross domain canonicals
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
https://www.loveknitting.com/lady-bird-lady-bug-baby-photo-prop-cro
chet-pattern-by-itchy-crochet
https://www.lovecrochet.com/lady-bird-lady-bug-baby-photo-prop-cro
chet-pattern-by-itchy-crochet
@seanbutcher
Duplicate pages not being indexed
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Needed to keep both sites
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Added cross-domain canonical from Love Knitting to Love
Crochet content
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.primelocation.com/
to-rent/
http://primelocation.telegraph.
co.uk/to-rent/
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://primelocation.telegraph.co.
uk/to-rent/details/39176066
http://www.primelocation.com/to-rent/details/3917
6066@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
DA of 94
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
DA of 94 No PA / links
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
PA of 46
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
PA of 46 Links reported
No sign of any
“traditional” backlinks from The Telegraph
No sign of any
“traditional” backlinks from The Telegraph
Can this be used to our
advantage?@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Canonical experiment
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
http://www.beersandburgers.co.uk/why-seo-is-like-a-good-burger/
https://www.bluearray.co.uk/why-seo-is-like-a-good-burger/
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
@seanbutcher
Day 1-Blue Array Indexed
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
BA ranking #1 for ‘seo
burgers’
Day 2 -Beers & Burgers Indexed - Mixed
SERPs@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
B&B ranking #1 for ‘seo
burgers’
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
BA ranking #3 for
‘burger seo’
After much chopping and changing, by..
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Day 14 - Blue Array established
on main KWs @seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
All well and good...
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
B&B ranking #8 for ‘SEO
beers’
BA ranking #5 for ‘SEO is a broad specialism’
Day 18 - Canonical added from BA to B&B
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Day 25 - Canonical takes effect (eventually)
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
‘SEO beers’
+4 places
‘SEO is a broad specialism’ + 4 places
@seanbutcher
Use sparingly!
#BrightonSEO
Sites/content should be closely related
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Sites/content should be closely related
Establish relevant site partnerships
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Summary
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Canonicals work on highly similar content
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Use HTTP headers for PDF and other
non-HTML formats@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Use paginated markup alongside
self-referencing canonicals
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Make use (carefully) of canonicals with
content syndication
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Find slides at:https://www.slideshare.
net/SeanButcher1
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
Thanks for listening!
@seanbutcher #BrightonSEO
BlueArray.co.uk | 0800 0119 123