Duplicate content source
Each variant URL (?variant=id) serves same content as base product (just different selected variant). Without canonical, Google sees 40 duplicates.
Shopify's fix: canonical
Auto-set canonical to base product URL on all variant URLs. Google respects, indexes base only.
Custom setup risks
- Removing canonical → all variants indexed as duplicates
- Setting variant as own canonical → competes with base for ranking
- UTM parameters in canonical → confuses Google
Verification
Google Search Console → URL Inspection. Check canonical is set correctly.
Frequently asked questions
How does Shopify prevent duplicate content from variants?
Auto canonical to base product URL. Variants don't get indexed separately.
Are variant URLs duplicate content?
Same content, different URL. Canonical fixes without penalty.
How to test for duplicate content?
Google Search Console → URL Inspection. Or crawl site with Screaming Frog.
Does Google penalize duplicate content?
Not directly. Just doesn't rank both — picks one canonical.
Custom variant URLs — risk?
Yes — remove canonical carelessly = duplicate content indexing.
UTM parameters and canonical?
Strip UTMs from canonical. Google ignores UTMs anyway.
Duplicate content from collections?
Product appears in multiple collections. Canonical to product URL prevents duplicate.
Best practice — trust default or customize?
Trust Shopify default. Customize only with SEO audit.
Related reading
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