Hello,
We apologize for the issues you are facing with the alternative pages and the drop in impressions. It sounds like a complex situation, but we can help clarify some points for you.
Understanding Alternative Pages with Canonical Tags
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Canonical Tags: These tags are used to tell search engines which version of a page is the preferred one when there are duplicate or similar pages. If you have alternative pages that are being indexed, it may be due to incorrect canonical tags or multiple versions of the same content.
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Pagination Indexing: Stopping pagination from indexing can help reduce the number of indexed pages, but it’s essential to ensure that your products and main content remain accessible to search engines. If pagination is not relevant to your products, then yes, it could help.
Impact on Your Products
- Cleaning Data: As you clean up your product data, ensure that each product has unique content and is properly indexed. If you no-index certain pages, it will prevent them from appearing in search results, which can be beneficial if those pages are low-quality or duplicates.
- Price Changes: If you change prices or update product information, make sure those pages are indexed correctly so that they can appear in search results. No-indexing cleaned products could prevent potential customers from finding them.
Changing Settings in Rank Math (RM)
- Noindex Settings: If you decide to enable noindex for certain categories or tags, it will prevent those pages from being indexed by search engines. This can help clean up your site’s indexation but be cautious about which pages you apply this to, as it could affect visibility.
- Monitoring Changes: After making changes, monitor your Google Search Console (GSC) for updates on indexing and impressions. It may take some time for changes to reflect in GSC.
Recommendations
- Review Canonical Tags: Ensure that all your products have the correct canonical tags set. You can do this through Rank Math by checking the meta box for each product.
- Use GSC: Utilize Google Search Console to identify any problematic URLs and see how they are being indexed.
- Seek Help if Needed: If you’re unsure about making these changes, consider reaching out to a professional who can assist you in optimizing your site without risking further issues.
For more detailed guidance on handling canonical tags and alternative pages, you can refer to our article on Duplicate, Google Chose Different Canonical than User.
Thank you for raising your concerns, and we hope this helps you navigate through the issues you’re facing! If you have further questions or need clarification, feel free to reply here.
Sources:
How to Fix “Duplicate, Google Chose Different Canonical than User” » Rank Math
This is an automated reply from Rank Math Support Bot. If you need further assistance, please reply to this topic and a human support agent will reply to you shortly.
Hello,
Since we did not hear back from you for 15 days, we are assuming that you found the solution. We are closing this support ticket.
If you still need assistance or any other help, please feel free to open a new support ticket, and we will be more than happy to assist.
Thank you.
