Theoretical Canonical Query/Test
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This is just a general discussion on your thoughts on this - maybe some tests have been done, but I haven't found any.
Suppose I have document X
If I put document X on high authority website A - It comes in SE position 1 for Keyword Z
If I put document X on low authority website B - It comes in SE position 10 for Keyword Z
What happens (if anything) if I put document X on website A and include a canonical tag to point to document X on website B.
What SE position would document Z on website B now come for Keyword Z ??
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I've been working with the canonical tag for many issues since Feb 2009. I haven't tried this particular situation. It will most likely not rank document X on website B like it would on website A without canonical.
Since canonical translates to "i'm a copy of an existing page", then I guess that it would perform as if it was the documenton website B.
It is a whole different story if document X has been linked to from good pages on website A. If it ranks possition 1, then it is likely it is linked. This way you should be able to transfer some link juice. It is considered to pass on less than 301 redirect, which on its part is not passing the whole thing.
I look forward to some testing. I will try to see if I can do the experiment myself. This sounds like a good way to build links. That is if you can place the canonical link element on website A.
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Is the real question - Does the cross-domain canonical tag pass domain and/or page metrics to the canonical page?
Yes, most likely
Check out this - http://www.seomoz.org/blog/cross-domain-canonical-the-new-301-whiteboard-friday
However, to think about it more specifically.
Site A (DA:65, PA:35) ranks first for content Z. Site B (DA:20, PA:15) ranks 10th for content Z. Site A add a canonical tag to Site B, what happens?
- Site B will rank higher and Site A will drop out.
- Site A maintains it's rank and Site B will improve rank.
- Site A will drop in ranking and Site B will improve rank.
- No change to either site.
Most likely in my mind is 1 is most likely depending on how competitive the keyword is.
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You can find tests carried out by the Dr. here http://www.seomoz.org/blog/6-extreme-canonical-tricks
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