Google no longer recommends canonical tags for syndicated content

Google now says the canonical hyperlink aspect is just not advisable for syndicated content material; as an alternative, block the syndicated content material from being accessed to keep away from duplication. Google posted this new piece of data on this assist doc over here.

What’s new. Google posted this paragraph below the part “syndicated content material:”

“The canonical hyperlink aspect is just not advisable for many who want to keep away from duplication by syndication companions, as a result of the pages are sometimes very totally different. The simplest resolution is for companions to dam indexing of your content material. For extra, see Avoid article duplication in Google News, which additionally has recommendation about blocking syndicated content material from Google Search.”

Don’t use canonicals for syndicated content material. Earlier Google advice was to require those that syndicated your content material to make use of a canonical tag to speak to Google that the content material is being copied out of your website. The difficulty is, it didn’t all the time cease syndicated content material from outranking the original source. Google did recommend you both block or use the canonical tag, Google wrote then “Publishers that permit others to republish content material may also help be certain that their authentic variations carry out higher in Google Information by asking these republishing to block or make use of canonical. Google Information additionally encourages those who republish materials to contemplate proactively blocking such content material or making use of the canonical, in order that we are able to higher establish the unique content material and credit score it appropriately.”

Even earlier than that, Google Information had a particular tag to point the source of your content. Nobody used it, so Google stopped supporting it.

Why we care. You probably have been syndicated content material and utilizing the canonical tag to keep away from duplication, it appears Google is now saying that tag gained’t do the job. As an alternative, Google desires you to ensure to dam the web page from being listed.

You probably have publishers syndicated your content material, requiring them to make use of the canonical tag, is now not (or by no means was) an efficient technique to make sure your content material would outrank your syndication companions.

Are you able to drive them to dam the content material from Google? I doubt it.