---
title: "Canonical tag checker | SEO Skill"
description: "Check canonical link tags in pasted HTML. Resolve relative URLs and find missing, invalid, multiple, misplaced, or cross-site canonical signals."
canonical: "https://seoskill.dev/tools/canonical-checker"
language: "en"
---

# Canonical tag checker

Paste a page URL and its HTML to see every canonical link, its resolved URL, and the checks that need attention.

## No check run yet

Paste HTML to inspect its canonical links.

### Canonical links found

## A canonical is a preference signal

A canonical link tells search engines which URL you prefer for duplicate or very similar pages. Google can still select another URL when its other signals point elsewhere.

Google describes [redirects and canonical link annotations as strong signals](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls), while sitemap inclusion is weaker. Internal links should also point consistently to the preferred URL.

## A missing canonical is not automatically a defect

A unique page can be understood without an explicit canonical. Treat a missing tag as an observation until duplicate versions, inconsistent internal links, or Search Console evidence show a real problem.

## Relative and cross-site values need human review

The checker resolves relative values against the page URL or a valid base tag. A canonical pointing to another page or another site can be intentional, so the result describes the relationship instead of marking every mismatch as wrong.

## This check covers pasted HTML

The tool does not fetch a live page or inspect an HTTP `Link` header. Paste the rendered HTML you want to review. You can send its title and description straight to the [SERP preview](https://seoskill.dev/tools/serp-preview) without pasting them again.

## Your HTML stays in the browser

The HTML is parsed in this browser tab and is not uploaded. Only a small set of candidate details is kept while the check is running.