Cononical URL problem
-
Hello,
In the keywords difficulty tool, one of my client's sites has a different number for links to root domain and links to page even though they're both the home page.
How do I tell if I have a cononical URL problem, and what do I do about it if I do?
Thank you.
-
The Keyword Difficulty Tool doesn't tell you if you have a canonical URL problem. The metrics used in that report highlight inbound links and are separated into two categories:
-
Root Domain Linking Root Domain - this is the total number of unique root domains links to your entire website regardless if it's the home page, contact, about, testimonials, etc.
-
Page Linking Root Domains - this is the total number of unique root domains linking to that specific page ONLY and in your case, the home page.
-
-
I see. That makes sense
-
My understanding is that in the Keywords Difficulty tool, "Page Linking Root Domains" is the number of different root domains linking to that exact page that is ranking for the keyword that you entered into the tool, whereas "Root Domain Linking Root Domains" (kind of mouthful) is the number of different root domains linking to anywhere on your root domain (in other words, any page on your site). The latter should always be higher than the former, whether it's the home page or not, unless the only links you have are to your home page.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Strange URL resulting a page
Hi, my friend has asked me to take a look at his site. I only know the basics of SEO so I'm learning along the way. He has some duplicate title errors showing in Moz, resulting to this page: https://www.domainname.com/about/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers/money-transfers This URL shows the 'About' page. I have tonnes of pages like this showing with really long URLs that result an actual page. Has anyone seen something like this before? I don't have a clue how this is showing the about page Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks James
On-Page Optimization | | Craze_Media0 -
Social plugin making URLs wonky, would this hinder SEO efforts?
I have a client, heartlandplastic.com who uses a social SEO plugin which makes all of the URL's a bit wonky, for example, the homepage gets redirect to http://www.heartlandplastic.com/#sthash.Cyt22dM0.dpbs Do you think I should find an alternative social share plugin, or that this plugin is fine, as is? They seem to be ranking fine for their immediate area. Thank you!
On-Page Optimization | | Red_Spot_Interactive1 -
Two URL's for the same page
Hi, on our site we have two separate URL's for a page that has the same content. So, for example - 'www.domain.co.uk/stuff' and 'www.domain.co.uk/things/stuff' both have the same content on the page. We currently rank high in search for 'www.domain.co.uk/things/stuff' for our targeted keyword, but there are numerous links on the site to www.domain.co.uk/stuff and also potentially inbound links to this page. Ideally we want just the www.domain.co.uk/things/stuff URL to be present on the site, what would be the best course of action to take? Would a simple Canonical tag from the '/stuff' URL which points to the '/things/stuff' page be wise? If we were to scrap the '/stuff' URL totally and redirect it to the 'things/stuff' URL and change all our on site links, would this be beneficial and not harm our current ranking for '/things/stuff'? We only want 1 URL for this page for numerous reasons (i.e, easier to track in Analytics), but I'm a bit cautious that changing the page that doesn't rank may have an affect on the page that does rank! Thanks.
On-Page Optimization | | Jaybeamer2 -
URL for a new website
Hi, I am creating a new website for a client. Is it best to include the keywords from the most common search in the domain name, they would like: forenamesurname.com but should I be recommending: weddingmakeupbyforename.com Does it make much difference to search rankings if the keyword is in the domain name? Thanks v much
On-Page Optimization | | danieldunn100 -
Break in H1 tag - big, small or no problem?
Hi, I've just taken on a new ski client who offers ski instructor courses. The landing page for the keyword [ski instructor courses] was created by the web agency but with no heading tags... http://www.snowrehab.com/ski-instructor-courses Subsequently they've put them in but I've noticed the H1 tag has a break in it where 'ski' is on a separate line to 'instructor courses' Is this an issue that need to be addressed? Also I can't look up the page in the Moz on-page grader - any ideas why? Many thanks! Richard
On-Page Optimization | | richardpatey0 -
Indexation problem
Hello, I have an online store specialized in offers and discounts (http://www.offertazo.com/) with an indexation problem. The products are not updated correctly. I think the problem is that when I publish a new offer, it doesn´t appear on the top of my page´s SERP. I would appreciate any suggestions. Best regwards.
On-Page Optimization | | ofuente0 -
Index.php + external site added to end of URL
Good day, I have a domain http://www.ecofriendlylink.com. I am trying to resolve the Crawl Diagnostic errors on it. I have several Duplicate Page Content errors. Example 1: (The domain happynewyou is not mine, some Comments from them have been placed on my site. Ecoshop.php is a page on my site). URL: http://www.ecofriendlylink.com Duplicate Page Content: http://www.ecofriendlylink.com/www./happynewyou.com/ecoshop.php Referrer: None. Example 2: URL: http://ecofriendlylink.com/index.php Duplicate Page Content: http://www.ecofriendlylink.com/index.php http://www.ecofriendlylink.com/www./happynewyou.com/index.php Referrer: http://ecofriendlylink.com/ Example 3: is a different problem, but still a Dup Page Error. URL: http://ecofriendlylink.com/water.php Duplicate Page Content: http://www.ecofriendlylink.com/water.php Referrer: http://ecofriendlylink.com/ water.php is a page on my main domain. The www version and the non-www version, if this a problem and something I need to overcome? So please can you advise what I need to do to get rid of this strange external domain name + index.php (as per examples 1 + 2), and explain what I'm doing wrong with Ex 3. Thank you!
On-Page Optimization | | drkevinhogan0 -
Canonical URL problem
On page analysis wanted me to add a canonical url tag. However I added then re ran the on page analysis and it came up with an error. What is the proper way to add a canonical url tag in the head of an index page? ie. add a canonical tag to www.hompeage.com/index.html would it be ? Or should I ignore this for a home page? Because I add it then run the analysis again and get this? Appropriate Use of Rel Canonical Moderate fix <dl> <dt>Canonical URL</dt> <dd>"http://www.ensoplastics.com/index.html"</dd> <dt>Explanation</dt> <dd>If the canonical tag is pointing to a different URL, engines will not count this page as the reference resource and thus, it won't have an opportunity to rank. Make sure you're targeting the right page (if this isn't it, you can reset the target above) and then change the canonical tag to reference that URL.</dd> <dt>Recommendation</dt> <dd>We check to make sure that IF you use canonical URL tags, it points to the right page. If the canonical tag points to a different URL, engines will not count this page as the reference resource and thus, it won't have an opportunity to rank. If you've not made this page the rel=canonical target, change the reference to this URL. NOTE: For pages not employing canonical URL tags, this factor does not apply.</dd> <dd>So do I add it or not? If I don't I get a lower page rating if I take it off I get a higher page rating with room for improvement. </dd> </dl>
On-Page Optimization | | ENSO0