Canonical URL and indexing issue on informational website

  • Unknown's avatar
    malikandmalik003 · Member ·

    I’m managing an informational site on Smashburger Menu, which provides structured content about menu items and prices. I’m running into an issue where certain pages are not being indexed even though the sitemap is submitted and the canonical tags appear correct.

    I’m using WordPress with Rank Math, and Google Search Console keeps showing “Duplicate, Google chose different canonical” on menu-related pages. Does anyone know what might cause Google to ignore the self-referencing canonical on a site that uses mostly static, informational pages? Any configuration settings I should double-check?

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • Unknown's avatar
    farhankhan44971 · Member ·

    Canonical URL & Indexing Issues – Quick Guide

    • Canonical URL: Tells search engines the preferred version of a page to avoid duplicate content.
    • Common Issues: Missing/incorrect canonical tags, duplicate URLs, or accidental noindex tags.
    • Fixes:
      1. Set correct canonical tags (WordPress SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math help).
      2. Ensure pages are indexable (check robots.txt and meta tags).
      3. Maintain consistent internal linking.
      4. Submit sitemap and monitor indexing in Google Search Console.
      5. Use 301 redirects for duplicate URLs.

    ✅ Tip: Regularly audit your site for duplicate content and canonical consistency to ensure proper indexing.

  • Unknown's avatar
    swimmingreallyae834d6d56 · Member ·

    Google chooses a different canonical when your pages look too similar or your internal linking suggests another URL is the main version.

    Fix it by:

    1. Adding unique content to each menu page (intro, details, FAQs).
    2. Making sure only one canonical tag exists on each page.
    3. Strengthening internal links to the correct page.
    4. Removing duplicate URLs (AMP, tags, categories, parameters).
    5. Re-submitting the page in Search Console after fixes.
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