Why AMP Pages Show as "Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag" in Google Search Console

Understanding how different versions of your web pages are indexed and displayed by search engines is crucial for SEO. If you’re utilizing AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) technology, you might have noticed that Google Search Console often labels these pages as "Alternate page with proper canonical tag." If you’re using Wix to build your website, you’re in luck because Wix automatically sets the canonical tag for your AMP pages. Let’s break down what this means and why it happens.

Understanding AMP and Canonical Pages

Canonical Tag Usage

AMP pages are essentially streamlined versions of your main (canonical) web pages designed to load faster on mobile devices. The primary page, known as the canonical page, holds the original content, while the AMP version is optimized for speed. To indicate the relationship between these two versions, canonical tags are used. The AMP page includes a <link rel="canonical" href="URL of the canonical page"> tag, directing search engines to the original page as the primary source.

AMP and Canonical Link Relationship

This relationship is a two-way street. Not only does the AMP page point to the canonical page with a canonical tag, but the canonical page also includes a <link rel="amphtml" href="URL of the AMP page"> tag, pointing back to the AMP version. This mutual linking helps Google understand that the AMP page is an alternate, faster-loading version of the canonical page.

Wix and Automatic Canonical Tags

If you’re using Wix to build your website, you’re in luck. Wix automatically sets the canonical tag for your AMP pages. This means you don’t need to manually configure these tags, ensuring that the relationship between your AMP and canonical pages is correctly established without extra effort.

Google Search Console Reporting

Why the Label "Alternate page with proper canonical tag"? When Google crawls your AMP page and detects the proper canonical tag linking to the original page, it labels the AMP page as an "Alternate page with proper canonical tag" in Google Search Console. This indicates that the AMP page is correctly set up as an alternate version and that the relationship between the two pages is well-established through canonical tags.

Benefits for SEO and User Experience

SEO Value

Using canonical tags correctly ensures that search engines attribute the SEO value to the canonical page. This prevents issues such as duplicate content, which can negatively impact your SEO efforts. The canonical page remains the primary version indexed and ranked by search engines.

Enhanced User Experience

AMP pages provide a significantly faster and more streamlined browsing experience for users accessing your site via mobile devices. This can lead to higher user satisfaction, lower bounce rates, and potentially better search rankings due to improved mobile performance.

Conclusion

In summary, when Google Search Console marks your AMP pages as "Alternate page with proper canonical tag," it indicates that your AMP setup is correctly implemented. The AMP page is recognized as an alternate version, and the canonical relationship is established, supporting both your SEO strategy and user experience.

With Wix automatically setting the canonical tags for you, maintaining this relationship becomes effortless. By leveraging AMP and canonical tags effectively, you can ensure that your content is both easily discoverable by search engines and highly accessible to mobile users, driving better engagement and performance for your site.