Features / Canonical tag checker
Canonical check: find chains and canonicals that point to noindex
A canonical tag tells Google which address to index. SEOSage checks the canonical of every page and flags two problems that are easy to miss: chains and noindex targets.
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See canonical tag check in 19 seconds
SEOSage finds canonical chains and canonical tags that point to a noindex page, and tells you which page to point at instead.
Read the video transcript
Is your canonical tag pointing the right way? A canonical chain sends Google on extra hops. Point straight to the final page. A canonical to a noindex page is an error. Start your fourteen-day free trial at seosage.co.
See chains and noindex targets
Both show in the Issues list under Indexability.
/shoes/red/Canonical points to /shoes/, which has its own canonical pointing to /footwear/. Point straight to the final page.
/shoes/blue/Canonical points to /shoes/old/, which has a noindex tag.
The two problems it finds
- Canonical chain (warning): Page A points to B, and B points to C. Point straight to the final page
- Canonical points to noindex page (error): The page asks Google to index a page that carries a noindex tag
Why they matter
A canonical is a hint. When it points at a page that points somewhere else, or at a page hidden with noindex, the signals clash and Google may ignore them.
Other canonical and indexing checks are in the same crawl. See the full list on the Features page.
What the issues look like
Real messages from the Issues list:
- Canonical chain. Canonical points to https://example.com/b, which has its own canonical pointing to https://example.com/c. Point straight to the final page.
- Canonical points to noindex page. Canonical points to https://example.com/b, which has a noindex tag.
How it works in three steps
- Crawl the website.Every page and its canonical are read.
- Open the canonical issues.Each one names the page, the canonical it points to and where that leads.
- Fix the tag, then crawl again.Point each canonical at the final, indexable page.
Related: free noindex checker · all canonical and indexing checks · SEO crawler.
Questions about this check
What is a canonical chain?
A chain happens when a page's canonical points to a second page, and that page has a canonical that points to a third. Point the first page straight to the final one.
Why is a canonical to a noindex page a problem?
The canonical asks Google to index one page, while the noindex tag on that page asks Google not to. The signals contradict each other.
How do I check a canonical tag?
For one page, use the free noindex checker, which shows the canonical. For a whole site, crawl it with SEOSage.
Which is more serious?
SEOSage shows a canonical that points to a noindex page as an error, and a chain as a warning.
Does a canonical to another page always mean a problem?
No. A canonical to a different page is normal for duplicate pages. The problems are chains, and targets that carry a noindex tag.
Is there a page limit?
No. SEOSage has no page limit.
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