Google now says that the canonical link element is not recommended for syndicated content; instead, it blocks access to syndicated content to prevent duplication. Google has published this new information in this help document this way.
What’s new. Google posted this paragraph under “syndicated content:”
“The canonical link element is not recommended for those who want to avoid duplication by syndication partners, because the pages are often very different. The most effective solution is to block partners from indexing your content. For also see Avoid duplicate articles in Google Newswhich also offers tips for blocking syndicated content from Google Search.”
Do not use canonicals for syndicated content. Google’s previous advice was to require those syndicating your content to use a canonical tag to tell Google that content is being copied from your site. The problem is that it didn’t always prevent syndicated content from surpassing the original source. Suggesting that you block or use the canonical tag, Google wrote at the time: “Publishers who allow others to publish content can help ensure that their original versions perform better in Google News by asking republishers. blog or make use of canonical. Google News also encourages those who republish material to consider proactively blocking such content or using canonicalization so that we can better identify original content and credit it appropriately.”
Even earlier, Google News had a specific tag to indicate the source of your content. Nobody used it, so Google stopped supporting it.
Why we care If you’ve syndicated content and used the canonical tag to avoid duplication, it looks like Google is now saying that this tag won’t do the job. Instead, Google wants you to make sure you block the page from being indexed.
If publishers have syndicated your content, requiring them to use the canonical tag is no longer (or never was) an effective strategy to ensure your content outperforms your syndication partners.
Can you force them to block Google content? I doubt it.
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