cross canonicalization with redirect

[Shrine.SEO.Gal]

I'm working with a website that has turned one of its pages into its own website within the main website - mostly for the ease of customers, making it simpler to access that page using www.page.com rather than www.mainsite.com/about/page.
As a result, there are two urls for that page (the ones just mentioned), both pointing to the exact same page, but with different urls. Now, they have made it so www.mainsite.com/about/page permanently redirects to www.page.com. which I thought was a good call. However, what do I do about canonicalization? Is it good to point the canonicalization of www.page.com to www.mainsite.com/about/page so that the rankings and link equity are maintained in the main website? Or would the fact that the www.mainsite.com/about/page redirects to www.page.com mess that up?

I hope this makes sense!

[CloutsySMM]

@Shrine-SEO-Gal said in cross canonicalization with redirect:

I'm working with a website that has turned one of its pages into its own website within the main website - mostly for the ease of customers, making it simpler to access that page using www.page.com rather than www.mainsite.com/about/page.
As a result, there are two urls for that page (the ones just mentioned), both pointing to the exact same page, but with different urls. Now, they have made it so www.mainsite.com/about/page permanently redirects to www.page.com. which I thought was a good call. However, what do I do about canonicalization? Is it good to point the canonicalization of www.page.com to www.mainsite.com/about/page so that the rankings and link equity are maintained in the main website? Or would the fact that the www.mainsite.com/about/page redirects to www.page.com mess that up?

I hope this makes sense!

Yes, this setup makes sense, and you’re on the right track. Since you’re using a 301 redirect from www.mainsite.com/about/page to www.page.com, the link equity and SEO value should automatically transfer to the new www.page.com URL. In this case, you don’t need to point the canonical of www.page.com back to www.mainsite.com/about/page—that would create a confusing loop.

Instead, set the canonical on www.page.com to itself, so search engines recognize it as the primary URL. The 301 redirect from www.mainsite.com/about/page will already signal to search engines that www.page.com is the new, authoritative location, preserving link equity without needing cross-canonicalization. This approach is both clean and effective for SEO.

[Adox-Arabia]

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[stevejacobe]

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[Shrine.SEO.Gal]

@JefferyDavis Thank you so much! Yes, I figured most of that as I was mulling it over. But I had not thought of checking to monitor indexing, etc.
Thank you for the reminder!

[JefferyDavis]

@Shrine-SEO-Gal In this situation, it's important to handle canonicalization carefully to ensure that search engines understand which URL you want to be recognized as the primary source of content, and to maintain your site's SEO value.

Here are some steps you can take:

Use the Correct Canonical Tag: On the new page, set the canonical tag to point to itself. This signals to search engines that this is the preferred version of the page.

Redirect the Old URL: Implement a 301 redirect from the old page to the new one. This indicates to search engines that the page has permanently moved.

Avoid Canonical Conflicts: Do not point the canonical tag on the new page back to the old one. This could create confusion and dilute link equity.

Monitor Performance: After implementing these changes, monitor your website’s performance in search engines using tools to track indexing and any potential issues.

Update Internal Links: Ensure that all internal links on the main site are updated to point to the new page to reinforce the new URL structure.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage the transition and help maintain your site's SEO value.