Canonical Tag Checker
Canonical Tag Checker is a free tool that shows which page a URL tells Google is the real version, so you can catch one pointing at the wrong page.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Checks a live page
The canonical tag tells Google which version of a page is the real one. It quietly solves duplicate-content problems — and quietly causes disasters when it points at the wrong page, because Google will show that page instead of this one.
Your workspace
Guide
How to use it
- 1Paste the page address and press Check this page.
- 2Compare the canonical against the page you checked.
- 3If they match, that is what you want on a normal page.
- 4If it points elsewhere, make sure that is deliberate. On a page you want ranking, it rarely is.
Common questions
Does every page need a canonical tag?
No. A self-referencing canonical is good practice and harmless, but a page without one is fine. The tag only matters when the same content exists at more than one address.
Why is Google showing a different page from mine?
A canonical pointing elsewhere is the most common cause, and the easiest to miss. Templates and plugins sometimes set one site-wide by accident.
Is a canonical the same as a redirect?
No. A redirect sends visitors somewhere else; a canonical leaves the page working and tells search engines which version to index. Visitors see no difference.
Guides on this topic
- Crawled - Currently Not Indexed: Meaning and How to FixWhat crawled - currently not indexed means in Search Console, why Google skips pages it has read, and the steps that get the pages you want indexed.
- How to Find Duplicate Titles and Meta DescriptionsFind the pages on your website that share a title or meta description, see why it matters, and fix them in WordPress, Shopify or Wix, step by step.
- SEO-Friendly URLs: How to Write a Clean Web AddressEight rules for short, readable web addresses, whether to use Hindi in a URL, and how to change an old address without losing your Google rankings.
- Hreflang Tags: Run a Hindi and English Site the Right WayWhat hreflang tags do, whether your site needs them, the right codes for Hindi and English pages, and the mistakes that make Google ignore them.