How To Fix The “Duplicate without user selected canonical” Error in Google Search Console

In this post we’re breaking down the error or warning in Google Search Console titled “Duplicate without user selected canonical” that shows up under the Indexation->Pages section in GSC

This error is particularly harmful as it essentially means Google has found a problem or duplicate content, has not found a canonical tag to tell it what to do with it so it went ahead and made it’s own decision on what to do.

Any time we send Google mixed signals it’s bad news so we want to resolve as many of the issues in this section of Google Search Console as we can.

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Why Duplicate Content is a Problem

Duplicate content confuses search engines. When multiple pages feature similar content, Google struggles to determine which one is the most relevant and authoritative. This can dilute your ranking potential and prevent your pages from ranking at all in severe cases.

Identifying Duplicate Content Issues

Always use the domain-level property in Google Search Console to get a complete picture of your website’s duplicate content issues. This provides a comprehensive view of all versions of your URLs and any associated errors.

Common Causes and Fixes

The video highlights several common scenarios leading to this error, along with practical solutions:

  • Unwanted Indexed Content: Sometimes, scripts, templates, or files that shouldn’t be indexed end up in Google’s search results. The solution? Block them using your robots.txt file. This tells search engines to stop crawling these URLs.
  • Duplicate Files: CMS quirks or website structure can lead to the same file being accessible via multiple URLs. Implement 301 redirects to consolidate these duplicates and point them to the preferred version.
  • External Duplicate Content: If you’re using resources like PDFs hosted on external sites, add a canonical tag in the server header using the .htaccess file to indicate the preferred version on your own domain.
  • Feed URLs: WordPress, by default, generates feed URLs that can be indexed. Disallow these URLs in your robots.txt file to prevent unnecessary duplication.
  • Deleted Pages: Leftover remnants of deleted pages can still cause issues. Use 301 redirects to redirect these old URLs to relevant existing pages.
  • Scripts and Code: Poorly coded websites or platforms like Magento can sometimes have scripts or code indexed. Block these using robots.txt to prevent potential security risks and SEO issues.

Important Notes

  • Fixing these errors takes time. It might take Google a while to recrawl your site and recognize the changes you’ve made.
  • Use Google Search Console’s URL inspection tool to understand which URL Google considers the canonical version.
  • Don’t be afraid to seek professional help. If you’re struggling with complex duplicate content issues, consider consulting an SEO expert.