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Canonical URL Example
This page demonstrates the canonical_url frontmatter option which allows you to specify a custom canonical URL for SEO purposes.
What is a Canonical URL?
A canonical URL tells search engines which URL is the “official” version of a page when the same or similar content exists at multiple URLs. This helps prevent duplicate content issues and consolidates link equity.
Usage
Add the canonical_url property to your frontmatter:
---
title: My Page Title
canonical_url: https://example.com/the-canonical-version
---This Page’s Configuration
This page uses:
canonical_url: https://example.com/the-canonical-versionThis generates the following HTML in the <head>:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/the-canonical-version" />Use Cases
Canonical URLs are useful when:
- You have similar content accessible at multiple URLs
- You’re migrating content from another site and want to point to the original
- You have both www and non-www versions of your site
- You have HTTP and HTTPS versions of the same content
- You’re syndicating content that originally appeared elsewhere
Notes
- The canonical URL should be a full, absolute URL including the protocol
- This does not redirect users - it only signals to search engines
- Only use canonical URLs when content is genuinely duplicated or very similar