Should existing canonical tags be removed where a 301 redirect is the preferred option?

[MVIreland]

Hi,

I'm working on a site that is currently using canonical tags to deal with www and non-www variations. My recommendation is to setup 301 redirects to deal with this issue instead.

However, is it ok to leave the existing canonical tags in place alongside the new 301 redirects or should they be removed?

My thoughts are that this is not a canonical issue and therefore they should be removed? If 301 redirects are not possible it would be better have them that nothing at all but I don't think we need both, right?

Any feedback much appreciated!

[LoganRay]

Hi,

It's perfectly acceptable to leave the canonical tags in place. Self-referring canonical tags like this can often be helpful, but leaving them in place certainly isn't going to hurt anything. Here are a few instances where they come into play:

• Tagged links
• Query string parameters
• As a fall back for 301 rules failing or being removed by accident
• Relative links

Hope that helps!

[MVIreland]

Hi,

That's a great help, thanks a mill! Leaving them in place as a fall back makes sense.