Alternate page with proper canonical tag and duplicate statuses, explained
Alternate page with proper canonical tag usually needs no action. Google found this URL, followed your canonical to another page and indexed that one. Only act if the URL listed is the page you want in search results.
These statuses appear in Search Console's Page indexing report under Why pages aren't indexed. That heading sounds alarming, but Google says being listed there doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. A site with filtered, sorted or tracked URLs will have plenty of them.
What each status means
| Status | What happened | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| Alternate page with proper canonical tag | The URL is an alternate of another page and correctly points to the canonical, which is indexed. | Nothing, unless this should be the main page. |
| Duplicate without user-selected canonical | Google sees a duplicate, you haven't named a preferred URL, and it chose another page. | Check its choice. Add a canonical if it's wrong. |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user | You named this URL as canonical, but Google picked and indexed another. | Compare the two pages and fix the signals. |
Based on Google's Page indexing report help. Google's definition of the first status mentions AMP, mobile and desktop versions. You'll often also see it for parameter URLs that canonicalise to a clean page.
When it's normal
A URL in the first status is usually one of these, and leaving it alone is the right call:
- Filtered or sorted versions of a category, such as
?sort=price - URLs with tracking parameters, such as
?utm_source=newsletter - Product variants that point to a main product page
- A separate mobile or AMP version that points to the main page
Look at the list for URLs that don't fit. A category, product or article you want to rank shouldn't be here. If one is, its canonical is sending Google to the wrong place, and that's a problem to fix.
How to check a URL
1Open URL Inspection 1 minute
Paste the URL into the search bar at the top of Search Console. In the page indexing details, compare User-declared canonical with Google-selected canonical.
2Open both pages 2 minutes
If the two URLs differ, compare the pages themselves. Are they really the same content? Google says it won't choose a declared canonical that isn't similar to the page.
3Read the signals on the page 2 minutes
Look at the canonical in the server HTML and the rendered page, any Link header, and the sitemap entry. They should all name the same URL. Internal links should use it too.
How to fix a wrong canonical
- The canonical points to the wrong URL. Change it to the page you want indexed. This is often a template setting that applies to every page of a type.
- There's no canonical. Add one. Use a self-referencing canonical on the page you want indexed.
- The pages aren't really duplicates. Google's advice is to make the content substantially different.
- Signals disagree. Google advises against naming different canonicals through different methods, so line up the tag, header and sitemap, then update internal links.
- Google still prefers the other URL. If the pages are the same and that URL is fine, you may be able to accept it. A canonical is a strong hint, not a rule.
After a fix, use Request indexing in URL Inspection for a few important URLs. It doesn't guarantee a change, and it can take days or weeks to show in the report. Our canonical tags guide covers the rules in more detail.
Search Console shows the status. Now find the cause.
Check the page's canonical signals
SEOSnip can't see which URL Google chose, but it shows what the page tells Google. Open the extension on the URL and you get:
- The canonical in the server HTML, the rendered page and any
Linkheader, with any differences flagged - A flag when the canonical is missing, repeated or points to another URL
- With the link checker, whether the target redirects, returns an error or is noindexed
- A ticket with that evidence, and Check if fixed to run it again