We have two brands one bigger and one smaller that are on 2 different domains. We are wanting to repost some of the articles from the smaller brand to the bigger brand and what was a bit of curve ball, our SEO agency advised us NOT to put a rel: canonical on the reposted articles on the bigger brands site.
This is counter to what i’m used to and just wanted to confirm with the gurus out there if this is good advice or bad advice.
The advice you received from your SEO agency regarding the use of rel=canonical tags for reposted articles has generated a legitimate point of consideration. Let’s break down the situation:
- Rel=Canonical Purpose: The rel=canonical tag is primarily used to indicate the preferred version of a webpage when there are duplicate or very similar content across multiple URLs. It helps search engines understand which version to prioritize in their index to prevent duplicate content issues.
- Reposting Content: When you repost articles from the smaller brand to the bigger brand, there’s a potential for duplicate content if both versions exist on different domains. Using rel=canonical tags can help mitigate this issue by indicating the original source of the content.
However, there could be scenarios where using rel=canonical might not be the best approach:
- Different Branding or Context: If the content is being reposted to the bigger brand but needs to maintain its own identity or context, using a rel=canonical might not be appropriate. Canonical tags suggest that one version is the same as another, which might not be true in this case.
- Valuable Independent Content: If the reposted content is intended to stand alone and provide unique value to the bigger brand’s audience, it might be more suitable to keep it as a separate piece without canonical tags.
- Cross-Promotion Benefits: Reposting content from the smaller brand to the bigger brand could potentially be seen as cross-promotion or strategic content sharing. In such cases, you might not want to canonicalize the content, as each brand’s website could benefit from its presence.
Given these considerations, the advice from your SEO agency might make sense if the reposted content is intended to serve a distinct purpose on the bigger brand’s website. However, it’s always a good idea to discuss the specifics with your SEO agency and get a clear understanding of their rationale behind this recommendation. They should be able to provide insights tailored to your brands’ unique goals and the nature of the content being reposted.
SEO is often contextual, and what works for one situation might not be ideal for another. Always prioritize the user experience and providing valuable, unique content to your audience while making informed decisions about canonicalization based on your specific scenario.
