Canonical and Meta Robots Checker
Paste your HTML and, if you like, the page address. The checker finds the canonical link and robots meta tags and explains anything that conflicts.
Rules sent in a server header cannot be seen from pasted HTML, so check those separately.
Worked examples
Mixed signals
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.co.uk/a">
Warning: The page has a canonical link and a noindex rule at once.
Keep the canonical if the page is a copy, or the noindex if it should not be listed.
A relative canonical
<link rel="canonical" href="/shoes/">
Warning: The canonical address is not absolute (/shoes/).
Use the full address, such as https://example.co.uk/shoes/.
About Canonical and Meta Robots Checker
Two small tags in the head of a page decide a lot about how it appears in search results. The canonical link names the preferred address for the page, so versions reached through tracking codes, filters or both www and non-www do not compete with each other. The robots meta tag says whether the page may be listed and whether its links may be followed. A mistake in either can quietly remove a page from results or split its strength between copies.
Paste the HTML of a page, and optionally its address, and this checker reads both tags. It reports a missing canonical, several canonicals that disagree, one placed in the body where it is ignored, relative or empty addresses, a fragment in the address and a canonical on another site. For robots it reads index, noindex, follow, nofollow, none and snippet rules, and warns when a page carries both a canonical link and a noindex rule, which sends mixed signals.
How to use Canonical and Meta Robots Checker
- Copy the HTML of the page. The head section is enough.
- Paste it into the first box and, if you know it, type the page's own address in the second.
- Read the checks. Problems and warnings are listed before notes.
- Fix the tags in your template or content system, then paste the new HTML to confirm.
Common uses
- Checking a template before it is used on thousands of pages
- Finding out why a page is missing from search results
- Checking pages that can be reached with several addresses
- Reviewing a site after a move or redesign
Frequently asked questions
What is a canonical link?
It is a link element in the head of a page that gives the preferred address for that content. Search engines treat it as a strong hint, not a command, when choosing which version of similar pages to show.
Should a page point to itself?
Usually yes. A self-referencing canonical makes clear which address you prefer and helps when the page can be reached with extra parameters. Point to a different page only when this page really is a copy or variant of it.
Why is canonical with noindex a problem?
A canonical says to treat this page as a copy of another and pass strength there. A noindex says to leave the page out altogether. Together they contradict each other, and search engines may ignore one or both. Choose the one you mean.
Can this tool see rules sent in headers?
No. An X-Robots-Tag header is sent by the server and is not part of the HTML, so it cannot be seen from pasted code. Check it with a header tool if you use one.
Does the robots meta tag block crawling?
No. It controls indexing and link following for pages that are crawled. To stop crawlers fetching a section at all, use robots.txt, but remember that a page blocked there cannot show its noindex tag.