Search Technology· Topic 06 · Definition

Canonical URL

The one address you declare as the real home of a page, for when the same content can be reached at several.

Tracking parameters, trailing slashes, print views and category paths can all serve the same content at different addresses. A canonical link in the page head names which one counts, so ranking and citation signals collect on a single URL instead of splitting across near-duplicates. AI engines have the same problem search engines do here, with less tolerance for ambiguity: if two addresses claim the same content and neither defers to the other, the engine picks one for you.

Related terms
Search Technologysitemap.xmlAn XML file listing the pages you want crawlers to find, with the date each one last changed.GEO StrategyContent ParityEnsuring AI engines see the same substance human visitors see.GEO StrategyAI IndexabilityWhether AI engines can actually parse and store your content.
More in Search TechnologyAll 8 terms →
AI Overviews AI-First Indexing Passage-Level Ranking Search Generative Experience (SGE) Semantic Search sitemap.xml Zero-Click Search

Knowing the term is step one.

Geordy operationalizes every term in this glossary - generating the structured files AI engines actually read.

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Canonical URL | Geordy Glossary