By Shad Super in Questions —

What Causes Pages to Fall Under the "Duplicate, Google Chose Different Canonical Than User" Status in Google Search Console, and How Can I Resolve This Issue Effectively?

Summary

The "Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical than user" status is issued by Google Search Console when Google decides upon a different canonical page than the one indicated by the webmaster. This can occur due to several reasons such as inconsistent or incorrect canonical tags, redirects, or URL parameters. You can resolve this issue by ensuring canonical tags and redirects are implemented correctly, as well as managing URL parameters effectively.

Understanding the Issue

What are Canonical tags?

Canonical tags are used to specify to search engines which version of a URL should be indexed when multiple versions exist. They are used to prevent issues related to duplicate content [Consolidating duplicate URLs, Google Developers].

Why does Google choose a different canonical?

Google can choose a different canonical if your canonical tags aren't consistent or there are other signals (like redirects or URL parameters) indicating a different canonical URL [Google chose different canonical than user, Google Search Central Help].

Resolving the Issue

Correct Implementation of Canonical Tags

Ensure canonical tags are consistently used and point to the correct version of the page. Incorrect or inconsistent canonical tags can confuse search engine bots and result in the wrong choice[Consolidating duplicate URLs, Google Developers].

Management of Redirects

Redirects, if not managed properly, can cause search engines to choose a different URL as the canonical. Ensure that your redirects don't conflict with your canonical tags [Manage duplicate content, Google Developers].

URL Parameters

URL parameters can create duplicate content issues. Use the URL Parameters tool in Google Search Console to indicate how you want Google to handle specific parameters [URL Parameters, Google Search Central Help].

Conclusion

Navigating through the issue of duplicate content and canonical URLs can be done by ensuring correct implementation of canonical tags, effectively managing redirects and URL parameters. This process is critical in maintaining a healthy, crawlable website.

References