Google: When Canonicals Conflict, We Pick One & We Don't Drop Both

Aug 22, 2017 - 7:24 am 0 by

Chalkboard9 Google 1900px

Google's John Mueller confirmed on Twitter that Google will pick one of the canonicals if the ones you set conflict. Meaning, if you send two or more different canonical signals to Google, Google will just pick which one they think is correct. Google will not drop both canonicals because of the conflicting information you sent.

John said, "FWIW in general if the canonical situation isn't clear, we'd just pick one or the other, we wouldn't drop both."

Of course, most SEOs want to help Google not have to make such decisions. So making sure there are no conflicting signals sent to Google is what SEOs do best.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: December 12, 2025

Dec 12, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google December 2025 Core Update, Discover Alignment To Rankings, Search Console Features, AI Mode Updates & More

Dec 12, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google Maps

Google Gemini Local Results In Visual Formats

Dec 12, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

Google On AI Max Inferred Intent vs Raw Text

Dec 12, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google Maps

Google Maps Share Button Drops X For Reddit & Facebook

Dec 12, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google

Google News AI-Powered Article Overviews Go Live For Some Publishers

Dec 12, 2025 - 7:21 am
 
Previous Story: Android Oreo Statue At Google