Understanding and Ignoring the "Alternate Page with Proper or Canonical Tag" Error

Google Search Console often throws up a variety of errors, some of which can seem alarming to website owners. One such error is the "Alternate page with proper or canonical tag" message. While it might seem critical, in many cases, it's actually a non-issue that can be safely ignored.

What Does the Error Mean?

This error indicates that Google has identified multiple pages on your website that share the same content. To avoid duplicate content issues, Google looks for canonical tags, which specify the primary version of a page. However, when multiple pages have the same canonical tag, Google can become confused and may not index them properly.

Why You Can Often Ignore It

In many cases, the "Alternate page with proper or canonical tag" error is related to pagination pages. These are pages that display search results or other content across multiple pages. For example, a real estate website might have a page for "Bungalows for Sale" that spans multiple pages.

While Google can technically index these pagination pages, it's often not ideal. This is because they often contain very similar content to the main page, which can dilute the website's authority and impact search rankings.

To prevent this, website owners often use canonical tags to point Google to the primary page, effectively telling the search engine to ignore the pagination pages. As a result, the "Alternate page with proper or canonical tag" error may appear, but it's actually a sign that the website is configured correctly.

When to Pay Attention

While you can often ignore this error for pagination pages, there are instances where it might indicate a more serious issue. If you see this error for unique, valuable content, it's worth investigating further. There could be a problem with your canonical tags or a technical issue that's preventing Google from indexing your pages correctly.