Alternate Page Canonical Tag Guide

 

When you check your Page Indexing report in Google Search Console, seeing any URL in the "Not indexed" category usually means you have work to do. However, if you see pages grouped under the "Alternate page with proper canonical tag" status, you can actually breathe a sigh of relief.

​Unlike frustrating errors where Google is confused by your website, this specific status message means that you did your technical SEO perfectly. Google found a duplicate version of your page, saw your instructions on how to handle it, and obeyed your commands.

​Here is exactly what this status means, why your website generates these alternate pages, and how to verify that everything is working correctly.

​Key Takeaways

• ​This status is not an error. It means your website code is working perfectly.
• ​Google intentionally excluded a duplicate page because you told them to.
• ​This happens frequently on Blogger due to automatic mobile URLs.
• ​You do not need to fix this status, but you should verify your tags are correct.

​Why This Status Appears

​Search engines want to show users the most relevant content, which means they do not want to show three identical copies of the exact same article in the search results.

​If you have a mobile version of a page, a desktop version, or a version with different URL parameters, you need to use a canonical tag. This hidden piece of HTML code tells search engines which version is the master copy.

​When you get this status, it means Googlebot successfully crawled the duplicate URL, read your canonical tag, and correctly indexed the master copy instead.

​Quick Note: If you want a deeper look at how search engines store your master pages after they scan these tags, read our guide exploring inside the Google search index.

​Common Causes for Alternate Pages

​If you are wondering why your website has alternate pages in the first place, it is usually just how your publishing platform is built.

​1. Blogger Mobile URLs

​If you host your website on Blogger, the system automatically creates a separate URL for mobile users by adding ?m=1 to the end of the link. Blogger also automatically adds a canonical tag to that mobile link pointing back to your clean desktop URL. When Google sees the ?m=1 link, it safely excludes it and gives you this exact status message.

​Important Detail: While this specific status is harmless, Blogger can sometimes be slow to process new updates. If your main articles are taking too long to appear, read our complete guide on how to fix Blogger posts not indexing fast.

​2. URL Parameters and Tags

​E-commerce sites or complex blogs often use URL parameters to filter content (like sorting a clothing page by the color blue). These filters create new URLs with the exact same content. A proper canonical tag tells Google to ignore the filtered URL and index the main category instead.

​How to Verify Your Setup

​Even though this status is a good thing, it is always smart to double-check that Google is choosing the right master copy.

​Open Google Search Console and click on the status in your indexing report. Click on one of the affected URLs and use the URL Inspection tool. Scroll down to the "Indexing" section. Check the line that says "User-declared canonical." It should perfectly match your clean, main URL.

​Next Steps: If you realize that your tags are pointing to the wrong place, or if you need to learn how to write the code yourself, check out our step-by-step tutorial on using canonical tags to fix duplicate content for SEO.

​Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

​Does an alternate page status hurt my SEO?

No, absolutely not. It actually protects your SEO. By consolidating your duplicate URLs, you ensure that all of your ranking power is focused on your main article instead of being split across multiple versions.

​Should I try to get these pages indexed?

No. You never want an alternate page to be indexed alongside your main page. If both versions are indexed, they will compete against each other in the search results, which can drag down your overall traffic.

​How do I remove this from my report?

You cannot remove it. Google Search Console will always report on these pages to give you a transparent look at how it crawls your site. You can safely ignore this section of the report.