How to Set a Canonical Tag on Shopify
A canonical tag tells Google which URL is the main version of a page when the same content can be reached at more than one address, for example with tracking parameters or with and without www. Without it, Google may split ranking signals between the copies.
The fix on Shopify
Shopify sets canonical tags automatically for products and pages. If using a custom domain setup with duplicate content, check with your theme developer.
Builder menus change over time. If a label looks different, look for the closest option and check Shopify's help centre.
What to know about Shopify
Canonical tags on product pages
Mostly handled
Points to the /products/ version of every item, but doesn't stop Google from crawling the collection-scoped version if your internal links point there.
Duplicate product URLs via collection-scoped paths
Partially, needs internal link cleanup
Every product has two working URLs with identical content. The automatic canonical tag helps but doesn't stop Google crawling both, or fix internal links pointing to the wrong one.
Why this matters
Most site builders handle this automatically. Without it, if the same content is reachable from more than one URL, Google may split ranking credit between them instead of giving it all to one strong page.
How to check it worked
- View the page source (Ctrl+U, or Cmd+Option+U on a Mac) and search for rel="canonical".
- In Search Console, URL Inspection shows the user-declared canonical and the one Google actually selected. If they differ, Google disagrees with your choice.
Common questions
Does Shopify add canonical tags automatically?
Most builders add them by default. Check the notes on this page for what is and is not handled on this platform.
What should a canonical tag point to?
The full preferred URL of the page itself, including https. It should be a page that loads normally and is not blocked from Google.
Same fix on other builders
More fixes for Shopify