The issue that keeps popping up… every now and again, we get questions from people who are experiencing ranking woes due to canonical issues. Here’s a quick video on canonicals and how to resolve the problem with use of 301 redirects. There are additional 301 redirect examples and other resources below.
How to create an .htaccess file:
– Open up Notepad
– Add in your desired 301 redirect code
– Click to save (a window pops up)
– Under save as type, select “All Files”
– Under File Name, enter “.htaccess” and hit SAVE
– Upload and test
.htaccess redirect non-www to www version:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^example.com
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.example.com/$1 [R=301,L]
.htaccess redirect old page to new page:
redirect 301 /index.htm http://www.example.com/
Check server headers:
https://www.seoconsultants.com/tools/headers
https://www.webconfs.com/http-header-check.php
or just run a search on “check headers”
Additional 301 redirect examples:
https://www.webconfs.com/154/301-redirects-how-to-redirect-your-website/
Matt Cutts explains the NEW canonical tags
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzA_VBHtuCk
Ex: <link rel=”canonical” href=”http://example.com/page.html”/>
