Best SEO Checklist
ONE FOCUSED ACTION

Verify correct use of canonical URLs on faceted navigation pages.

Canonicalization optimization

1 checklist items

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    Why this matters

    Faceted navigation can generate many parameterized URLs causing duplicate content; proper canonical tags consolidate indexing signals and prevent dilution.

    A STARTING-POINT EXAMPLE

    Hypothetical standard operating procedure

    Adapt this example to your site, access, tools, and change process. It is our suggested procedure, informed by the sources below.

    1. Review all faceted navigation URLs with parameters.
    2. Identify the preferred canonical URL for each faceted page or filter combination to be indexed.
    3. Ensure each faceted URL has a rel="canonical" tag pointing to the appropriate canonical URL.
    4. Check that no faceted URLs with little value are indexed or canonicalized incorrectly.
    5. Use tools like Google Search Console URL Inspection to verify canonical recognition for key faceted URLs.

    Watch for

    Incorrect or missing canonical tags on faceted pages may cause SEO ranking issues due to duplicate content.

    Definition of done

    All faceted URLs intended for indexing use canonical tags pointing to self, or to a designated canonical page, consistent with crawl directives.

    Sources & attribution

    1. Fix Canonicalization Issues | Google Search Central ↗
    2. WordPress SEO Checklist for Publishers: On-Page and Technical Basics ↗

    Original checklist wording and example SOP by Best SEO Checklist, using source-grounded AI assistance. Editorial contact: Ted Kubaitis, @tedkubaitis on Teams. Check current source guidance before implementation.