What Are Canonical Links and Why Are They Important for Your Wix Website?

When it comes to improving SEO and ensuring that your website is optimized for search engines, canonical links are a crucial yet often overlooked tool. If you’re managing a website on Wix—whether you have regular pages or blog posts—it’s important to understand how canonical links work and why they matter.

What Are Canonical Links?

A canonical link, or canonical tag, is an HTML element that helps search engines understand which version of a webpage is the "master" or original version. This is especially important when you have multiple pages with similar or duplicate content. Without canonical links, search engines may get confused and struggle to determine which version of the page should rank higher in search results.

For instance, if the same blog post appears on two different websites (yours and another), the canonical tag points to the original post, signaling to Google and other search engines which URL should be considered the primary source. This prevents duplicate content issues and helps consolidate SEO value to the correct page.

Why Are Canonical Links Important for SEO?

Canonical links play a critical role in maintaining the integrity of your website's SEO for the following reasons:

1. Prevents Duplicate Content: Search engines penalize websites with duplicate content, which can lead to lower rankings. By specifying a canonical link, you prevent your website from being flagged for having duplicate content.

2. Consolidates SEO Ranking Power: When multiple pages or blog posts have similar content, search engines may split the ranking power between those pages. Using a canonical link helps to consolidate the ranking signals, giving your original content the SEO boost it deserves.

3. Helps Search Engines Index the Right Page: Canonical links help search engines focus on indexing the correct version of a page, improving the chances that your preferred content will appear in search results.

How to Add Canonical Links to Your Wix Website

Adding Canonical Links to Normal Pages in Wix

Here’s how you can set up a canonical link on a regular page in Wix:

1. Access Your Page's SEO Settings:

   • In the Wix Editor, go to the page where you want to add a canonical link.

   • Click on Page SEO under the Settings menu.

2. Add the Canonical URL:

   • Scroll down to the Advanced SEO section, where you will see a field labeled Canonical URL.

   • Input the URL of the original version of the page if this page is a duplicate or similar to content found elsewhere.

3. Save and Publish:

   • Once you’ve entered the correct canonical URL, save your changes and publish the page.

Adding Canonical Links to Wix Blog Posts

Canonical links are just as important for blog posts, especially if you're publishing guest posts or content that also appears on other platforms. Here’s how to add canonical links to your Wix blog posts:

1. Open the Post's SEO Settings:

   • Navigate to the Wix Blog Manager, and select the post you want to edit.

   • Click on Post SEO in the sidebar.

2. Enter the Canonical Link:

   • In the Advanced SEO Settings, find the Canonical URL field.

   • Enter the URL of the original blog post or the version you want to be recognized as the authoritative one.

3. Save and Publish:

   • After entering the canonical link, save and publish your post to make the change effective.

When Should You Use Canonical Links?

You should consider using canonical links in the following scenarios:

• Duplicate or Similar Content: If you have multiple pages with similar content (like multiple product pages with only slight variations), use canonical tags to tell search engines which one should be prioritized.

• Cross-Posting Content: If you’re republishing content that originally appeared on another website, add a canonical link to point to the original source. This ensures that search engines direct users to the correct version.

• Multiple URLs for the Same Page: If users can access the same page via different URLs (such as with or without "www"), canonical tags can help search engines index only the preferred version.

Need Help with Your Wix Website and SEO?

As Wix website designers, we can help you optimize your site’s SEO and ensure everything is set up correctly—from canonical links to advanced SEO settings. Whether you're just getting started or looking to improve your existing site's SEO performance, I can guide you through the process.

If you want to improve your website’s search engine ranking, avoid duplicate content issues, and boost your site’s visibility, feel free to get in touch! You can find more information about our services here, or simply drop us a message if you have any questions.