How concerning is 'Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user'

Technical Q&A
1

Hello,

Google informed me about ‘Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user’. I want to know how ‘bad’ this message is. As I understand, it means that when I have a product with variations, Google will for example only index the red shirt, and not all five different colors. For me, I don’t really mind, if the red shirt is in the search results or the purple one. Did I understand the issue correctly or is there more to it? Thanks in advance!

2

Hello @sarizona

You’ve got the gist of the issue, but there’s a bit more to consider with the “Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user” message in Google Search Console. Here’s a breakdown:

Understanding Duplicate Content and Canonicalization:

  • Search engines like Google don’t want to show users the same content multiple times (duplicate content).
  • When you have product variations with very similar content (just different colours, sizes, etc.), Google might consider them duplicates.
  • To avoid confusion and wasted indexing resources, Google chooses a “canonical” URL – the version they think best represents the product.
  • Try using FREE Shopify Apps for website optimization

The Problem with a Different Chosen Canonical:

  • While you might not mind which variation gets indexed (red vs. purple shirt), it can impact your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
  • If Google picks a URL you didn’t intend as canonical, it might not be the one with the best content or optimization for that specific variation.
  • This could lead to a less relevant page ranking for searches related to the other colour variations.

So, how “bad” is this message?

It depends. If it’s just a few instances and you don’t mind which variation gets indexed, it might not be a major concern. However, it’s good practice to address it for a few reasons:

  • Users searching for a specific colour might land on a different variation, which isn’t ideal.
  • You can ensure each variation has the most relevant content and optimization for its specific colour or size.
  • Fixing duplicate content issues can improve your website’s overall SEO health.

Solutions:

  • Review Canonical Tags: Make sure you have correctly implemented a “rel=canonical” tag on each variation, pointing to the preferred canonical URL (usually the main product page).
  • Consolidate Content: If the variation pages have very little unique content, consider consolidating them into the main product page with clear filters for colour and size.
  • Use 301 Redirects: Set up 301 redirects from the non-preferred variation URLs to the chosen canonical URL. This tells search engines and users that the first URL has permanently moved to the second one.

Here are some resources that might be helpful: