In this post, I'm going to show you how to fix alternate page with proper canonical tag in Blogger? 🤔
When your website is hosted on blogger platform then you are most likely to see this error once in your lifetime.
Actually, this "alternate page with proper canonical tag" in blogger is not the only error you'll encounter but because of this you might face other issues like page with redirect error, page not found 404, etc.
But don't worry my friend because I', here to help you. I'll show you exactly what to do in order to fix alternate page with proper canonical tag in Blogger.
Alternate page with proper canonical tag🤔
If you're a person who loves blogging and using Blogger, you might have come across the issue of an alternate page with proper canonical tag in your website.
For instance, in the google search console you will see this exact error: "An alternate page with proper canonical tag."
And now you don't know anything about how to fix alternate page with proper canonical tag in Blogger.
This mainly occurs due to blogger's mobile version url.
If you have a blogger site and open your website in mobile, then you will see ?m=1 at the end of the url.
Some people even try to remove m=1 from blogger url.
They watch or read something that they should not be doing in blogger. They try to use methods used for WordPress in blogger and that's not always going to work.
But don't worry; we've got you covered!
In this article, we'll explain what alternate pages are, why they matter, and how to fix them using proper canonical tags in Blogger.
But what exactly is this alternate page with proper canonical tag in Blogger.
Let me explain it very quickly.
Imagine you have a favorite book, but it has two different editions.
One is the original, and the other is a special edition with some extra pictures.
Now, you want to make sure people know that the original book is the real deal and that the special edition is just a fun extra.
Websites can have a similar situation in the Internet world.
Sometimes, there is a main page like the original book and then another page like the special edition, which may have some differences.
We use something called a "canonical tag" to tell search engines like Google what the main page is. It's like a label that says, "Hey, search engines, this is the actual page you should be paying attention to!"
So, when you use the canonical tag on a particular variant page, it helps search engines understand that the main page is the most important for things like search results.
It is important to make sure everyone knows that the original book is the most important.
Understanding Alternate Pages
Alternate pages are different URLs that contain similar content to your main page.
They can appear due to various reasons, such as using multiple labels or tags, pagination, or using both www and non-www versions of your website.
Search engines might consider these pages as duplicate content, which can harm your site's ranking and visibility.
In SEO (Search Engine Optimization), "alternative pages" generally refer to pages on a website that serve as alternatives to the main or primary pages for certain purposes or under certain circumstances.
These pages are often used to target different variations of content or provide users with an alternative experience.
Here are some common examples of alternate pages in SEO
1. Mobile-friendly pages
Websites have alternative versions of their pages that are specifically designed for mobile devices. These pages are optimized for small screens and touch interfaces to provide better user experience to mobile users. They may have a different layout or less content to make them more mobile-friendly.
2. Language or Regional Variation
If a website serves an audience in multiple languages or regions, it may have alternate pages for each language or region. These alternate pages ensure users see content tailored to their preferred language or location.
3. Print-Friendly Pages
Some websites offer alternative versions of pages optimized for printing. These pages typically remove elements such as navigation menus and advertisements to provide a cleaner, more printer-friendly appearance.
4. A/B Testing Pages
Marketers use alternate pages to perform A/B testing, where different versions of a page are shown to different users to determine which performs better in terms of user interactions, conversions, or otherwise metrics.
5. Seasonal or Promotional Pages
For example, e-commerce websites may create alternate pages for seasonal promotions or special events. These pages may temporarily replace the main pages during certain periods.
6. Archived or Older Content
Some websites maintain older or archived versions of pages to preserve historical content. These alternate pages may not be actively promoted but are available for reference.
Alternative pages need to be properly managed from an SEO perspective.
For example, as mentioned in your previous question, using canonical tags helps search engines understand the relationship between the main page and its alternatives, ensuring that SEO authority is integrated into the main page.
This prevents duplicate content issues and helps search engines deliver the most relevant pages to users based on their search intent and context.
Why Canonical Tags are Important?
A canonical tag is an HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page should be treated as the main or original one.
By using a canonical tag, you're informing search engines that all alternate versions of your page should be attributed to the main page's content, preventing any negative impact on your SEO.
It's actually very simple to understand these SEO related things.
Let's chat about canonical tags in a friendly way!
Imagine you're in a library, and you find two identical books with the same story.
It's a bit confusing, right?
You might wonder, "Which one should I pick?"
That's kind of like what happens on the internet when there are duplicate or really similar web pages.
Search engines like Google get puzzled too. They think, "Which page should we show to people when they search for something?"
Now, here's where canonical tags come to the rescue.
Think of them as little notes inside those duplicate books that say, "Hey, this is the real deal, the original story!"
When Google's robots scan the internet library and see these tags, they understand which page is the main one, and they don't get mixed up.
This is super important for SEO because it helps Google know which page to rank higher in search results.
It also prevents your website from getting penalized for having duplicate content, which is a no-no in the SEO world.
So, in simple terms, canonical tags are like helpful signs for search engines, telling them which page is the star of the show and making sure your website's pages don't compete with each other.
They keep things organized and help you get the right page seen by the right people.
How to Fix Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag in blogger?
But knowing about these terms and what exactly they do in SEO and understanding how impactful it can be for your website is also very important so that you can fix things later on.
That's why I said everything in a simple explanation.
Let's get straight to the following steps that will help you to fix alternate page with proper canonical tag in Blogger.
2. Select dropdown menu and edit the HTML.
3. Insert this Canonical Tag in blogger:
Copy and paste this following code inside the <head> section.
<link rel='canonical' expr:href='data:blog.url'/>4. Save the Changes:
- After adding the canonical tag, save the changes to your template.
- Double-check that the canonical tag is correctly implemented in your website.
5. Validate in the Google Search Console:
- Go to your search console pages and then go to alternate page with proper canonical tag.
- Now click on validate fix.
Submit your sitemap and request indexing for your blog to update search engine results.
Theory of Alternate page with proper canonical tag in SEO
Now you know why alternate page with proper canonical tag in Blogger occurs and how to fix it.
But have you ever given a thought about this canonical tag.
I'm pretty sure your answer is NO😂.
Let me explain what a canonical tag is in a simpler way.
Imagine you have a favorite song, and sometimes your friends share it with others on different music platforms or playlists.
However, you want everyone to know that the original version of the song is the one you love the most.
In a similar way, when you create a webpage or blog post, it might appear on different internet addresses or URLs.
This can happen if you use different web addresses like "www.example.com" or "example.com," or if you have tags and labels on your blog.
When search engines see these similar pages, they might get a bit confused and not know which one is the main or original version.
Here's where the "canonical tag" comes into play.
It's like a special tag you put on your webpage's code that tells search engines which URL is the most important or main one.
It's like saying, "Hey, search engines, this is the original version of my page, so please consider this one as the important one."
By using the canonical tag, you're helping search engines avoid any confusion about duplicate content (the same thing in different places), and it ensures that they show the right version of your page in search results.
For example, if your main webpage is "www.example.com/page," you can use the canonical tag in the webpage's code to say, "This is the main version of the page."
```html
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/page" />
```
This way, if there are other copies of your page, like "example.com/page," search engines will know that they should consider "www.example.com/page" as the important one and not count the other versions as separate pages.
The canonical tag helps you tell search engines which version of your webpage is the original or most important one, so they don't get confused by duplicate content.
It's like giving your favorite song a special tag to make sure everyone knows the version you love the most.
This can help your webpage rank better in search results and be seen by more people.
Conclusion
Fixing alternate pages with proper canonical tags in Blogger is essential for improving your site's SEO and avoiding duplicate content issues.
By following the steps mentioned above, you'll guide search engines to index your main page correctly, which can lead to better visibility and ranking.
Remember to keep an eye on any future changes to your blog's structure and implement canonical tags whenever needed.
Happy blogging!