Choose the preferred URL for a product
Choose a canonical for equivalent content, rather than every URL that shares a product name. A color selector can change the photograph without creating a separate search destination. A substantially different product, language version or collection needs its own assessment. Canonicalization and removing a page from the index are different decisions.
Illustrative store: /products/linen-shirt/, /products/linen-shirt/?color=blue and /products/linen-shirt/?color=white show the same shirt with different selected colors. The store chooses the plain URL as the preferred search destination while keeping color selection available to shoppers. The sitemap lists that preferred address. A separate insulated overshirt is not folded into the shirt simply because both sit in the same collection.
Keep alternate variants and indexing instructions consistent
A declared canonical is a signal, not a promise that Google will select it. Conflicting internal links, sitemap entries or page content can make the intended relationship unclear. Do not use a canonical to hide an unrelated page.
Next, compare one product’s variants, declared canonical, internal links and sitemap entry. Decide whether the pages are genuinely equivalent before applying the pattern across the catalog.
Website field guide · Product variants and canonical URLs · Product variant
Reference: Google Search Central: canonical URLs. Checked November 4, 2026.