An "Alternate page with proper canonical tag" is a status or note you might see in Google Search Console (or other SEO tools), and it refers to how duplicate or similar pages on your website are handled for indexing. Here's what it means in plain English:
Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag – Meaning:
This status means:
- You have multiple pages with similar or identical content (like product variations or mobile vs desktop pages).
- The page in question is not indexed by Google, because…
- It has a canonical tag pointing to another page, which Google is indexing instead.
That’s actually good – it means:
- You’re telling Google: “Hey, this page is similar to [another page], but that one is the main version – please index that instead.”
- Google has listened and is respecting your canonical tag.
Example:
Let’s say you have these two URLs:
-
example.com/product?color=red -
example.com/product
If the
?color=red version has this tag in its <head>:<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/product" />
Should You Worry?
Nope, not unless:
- You expected that specific page to be indexed (and it’s not).
- The canonical is incorrect or pointing to the wrong page.
- Too many pages are labeled this way unintentionally.
What to Check:
- Confirm the canonical tag is intentional and correct.
- Make sure the canonical page is actually indexed.
- Use tools like Google Search Console's URL Inspection Tool to verify.
What it Means on Blogspot:
Blogspot (Blogger) automatically creates multiple versions of your blog posts and pages, such as:
- Mobile and desktop versions (
?m=1) - Label/tag archives
- Paginated archive pages
- URLs with tracking parameters (e.g.,
?utm_source=...)
To prevent duplicate content issues, Blogger automatically adds canonical tags pointing to the main/original version of your post or page.
So if Google says:
"Alternate page with proper canonical tag"
It means:
- Google found a duplicate or variant page (like
?m=1or a tag page). - That page has a canonical tag pointing to the main/original post.
- Google is indexing only the main one — which is good!
Example:
Let’s say you wrote a blog post at:
thisisyourblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/what-is-seo.html
Blogspot may also have:
thisisyourblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/what-is-seo.html?m=1 ← mobile version
thisisyourblog.blogspot.com/search/label/SEO ← label archive
thisisyourblog.blogspot.com/search/label/SEO ← label archive
Each of those alternate pages will have a canonical tag pointing to the main post URL, like:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://thisisyourblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/what-is-seo.html" />
That’s what triggers the message.
Should You Worry About This?
No, this is normal behavior for Blogspot, and it actually helps your blog's SEO.
Only take action if:
-
The main/original version is not being indexed, or
-
You think a different version should be indexed (which is rare).
Is any action needed for "Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag" on Blogspot?
No action is needed in most cases. This is normal and expected behavior on Blogspot.