When managing Local Lead Generation (LLG) websites, one question often comes up: Should you add a canonical tag to every service or location page? This might sound technical, but it’s actually pretty straightforward and can help your website rank better in search engines. In this article, we’ll explain what canonical tags are, why they matter, and how to use them properly on your LLG sites. Plus, we’ll share some tips on building these sites efficiently with custom values and forms.
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What Are Canonical Tags and Why Do They Matter?
A canonical tag is a small piece of code you add to a webpage that tells search engines which version of a URL is the main one. Sometimes, the same page might be available through different URLs. For example, a page might have extra tracking codes (like UTM tags) added to the URL, or it might be accessible with or without a trailing slash at the end of the URL. This can confuse search engines, and they might think these are different pages with duplicate content.
When search engines find duplicate content, they don’t know which page to rank, and this can hurt your SEO performance. By adding a canonical tag, you tell search engines, “Hey, this is the original page. Please rank this one.” This helps avoid duplicate content issues and keeps your site’s SEO strong.
Should You Add Canonical Tags to Every Service and Location Page?
Yes, we recommend adding canonical tags to every service and location page on your LLG sites. It’s a simple step that can prevent many SEO problems down the road. Since URLs can have small variations—like extra characters, tracking parameters, or trailing slashes—canonical tags make sure all versions point back to a single, preferred URL.
For example, on platforms like HighLevel, the same page might be accessible with different URL slugs. One might be example.com/home and another just example.com/. Both can be crawled by search engines, but they are technically different URLs. By adding a canonical tag pointing to the main version, you make sure search engines don’t get confused by these duplicates.
How to Set Canonical Tags Correctly
When setting canonical tags, pay close attention to the trailing slash at the end of URLs. Some websites use URLs with a trailing slash (like example.com/page/), while others don’t (like example.com/page). It’s important to choose one format and stick with it in your canonical tags.
A common mistake is to have the URL with a trailing slash in the address bar but canonicalize to the version without it, or vice versa. This sends mixed signals to search engines and can cause ranking issues. The best practice is to match the canonical URL exactly with the version users see in the browser.
Most SEO plugins, especially for WordPress, offer an easy option to add canonical tags automatically. Usually, the pro versions of these plugins allow you to check a box so that each page canonicalizes to itself—meaning the canonical tag points to the page’s own URL. This is the easiest way to avoid duplicate content issues without doing extra work.
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Using Custom Values to Automate Canonical Tags on LLG Sites
On LLG sites built with platforms like HighLevel, we use custom values to automate the process of adding canonical tags. This means we don’t have to manually add tags to every page. Instead, we set up templates with custom value tokens that automatically insert the correct canonical URL for each page.
Here’s how it works:
- Before building the site, we decide on the exact URLs for every page, including service and location pages.
- We collect these URLs in a spreadsheet or CSV file.
- We then upload these URLs through a form input system in HighLevel, which populates the custom values for each page.
- The template uses these custom values to insert the canonical tag that points to the right URL.
This approach saves a lot of time and reduces errors. Since the URLs are set before the site goes live, the canonical tags are always accurate and consistent.
Example of Canonical Tags in Action
Imagine your homepage is accessible at example.com/ and also at example.com/home. Both URLs show the same content, but you want search engines to index only example.com/. With custom values, you can set the canonical tag on the /home page to point to example.com/. This way, even if someone links to the /home URL, search engines know which page to rank.
Building LLG Sites Efficiently with CSVs, Forms, and Custom Values
Beyond canonical tags, we’ve developed a system that helps us build many local lead generation sites quickly and efficiently. Here’s a quick overview of the process:
- We gather all important data for the site, like URLs, service areas, company info, images, and keywords, in multiple spreadsheet sheets.
- Each sheet corresponds to a form in HighLevel’s form builder.
- We generate a special URL with parameters that automatically fills in the form fields based on the spreadsheet data.
- Our virtual assistants (VAs) use these URLs to quickly submit the forms, which populates the site pages with all the right information.
- The site template uses custom values to insert the right URLs, canonical tags, navigation links, and images automatically.
This system allows us to build multiple sites for different clients and locations without manually creating each page. It also means canonical tags and other SEO elements are handled automatically, reducing the chance of mistakes.
Customizing Sites for Clients
While we use a standard template for all our LLG sites, we can customize things like colors, logos, and services to fit each client’s needs. However, the core structure, including canonical tags and URL handling, remains consistent to ensure SEO best practices.
Clients who want a completely different website design or structure can hire a separate web design company. Our focus is on delivering efficient, SEO-friendly lead generation sites that work well in search engines.
Tips for Managing Content and SEO on LLG Sites
One interesting approach we’ve tested is pre-populating sites with content that uses tokens or placeholders. This means the content is mostly generic but can be customized later. The benefit is that sites are almost fully built on launch, which helps us test which sites perform well in search.
Once we identify a site that ranks or brings in traffic, we replace the generic content with unique, custom content to improve SEO further. This strategy saves time and allows us to focus on optimizing sites that have proven potential.
Handling Images
We use a mix of universal images and client-specific photos. Universal images stay the same across all sites in a niche, while client photos make each site feel more personal and unique. Clients are encouraged to provide their own images, which we then add to their sites.
Summary: Why Canonical Tags on Every Page Are Worth It
To wrap it up, adding canonical tags to every service and location page on your LLG sites is a smart move. It helps prevent duplicate content issues caused by URL variations, tracking parameters, and trailing slashes. Using custom values to automate canonical tags makes the process easy and efficient, especially when building many sites at once.
By planning your URLs ahead of time and using spreadsheets and forms to populate your sites, you can save time and ensure consistency across all your pages. This approach not only improves SEO but also makes managing multiple local lead generation sites much simpler.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a canonical tag?
A canonical tag is a piece of code that tells search engines which URL is the main version of a page, helping avoid duplicate content issues.
Do I need canonical tags on every page of my LLG site?
Yes. Adding canonical tags to every service and location page helps keep your SEO clean and prevents duplicate content problems.
How do I handle URLs with trailing slashes?
Choose one URL format—either with or without a trailing slash—and make sure your canonical tags match that format exactly to avoid confusion.
Can I automate canonical tags on HighLevel or WordPress?
Yes. On WordPress, many SEO plugins offer automatic canonical tags. On HighLevel, you can use custom values and templates to automate canonical tags for all pages.
What if my URLs have tracking parameters like UTM tags?
Canonical tags help by pointing all URL variations back to the main URL, so search engines don’t treat each variation as a separate page.
How do you build multiple LLG sites quickly?
We use spreadsheets or CSV files to collect all site data, then use forms with URL parameters to populate site templates automatically, saving time while keeping everything consistent.