• majorAlexa

        See all notifications

        Skip to content
        Moz logo Menu open Menu close
        • Products
          • Moz Pro
          • Moz Pro Home
          • Moz Local
          • Moz Local Home
          • STAT
          • Moz API
          • Moz API Home
          • Compare SEO Products
          • Moz Data
        • Free SEO Tools
          • Domain Analysis
          • Keyword Explorer
          • Link Explorer
          • Competitive Research
          • MozBar
          • More Free SEO Tools
        • Learn SEO
          • Beginner's Guide to SEO
          • SEO Learning Center
          • Moz Academy
          • MozCon
          • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
        • Blog
        • Why Moz
          • Digital Marketers
          • Agency Solutions
          • Enterprise Solutions
          • Small Business Solutions
          • The Moz Story
          • New Releases
        • Log in
        • Log out
        • Products
          • Moz Pro

            Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

          • Moz Local

            Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

          • STAT

            SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

          • Moz API

            Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

          • Compare SEO Products

            See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

          • Moz Data

            Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

          Let your reputation grow with Reviews AI
          Moz Local

          Let your reputation grow with Reviews AI

          Learn more
        • Free SEO Tools
          • Domain Analysis

            Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

          • Keyword Explorer

            Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

          • Link Explorer

            Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

          • Competitive Research

            Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

          • MozBar

            See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

          • More Free SEO Tools

            Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

          NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
          Moz Pro

          NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

          Learn more
        • Learn SEO
          • Beginner's Guide to SEO

            The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

          • SEO Learning Center

            Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

          • On-Demand Webinars

            Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

          • How-To Guides

            Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

          • Moz Academy

            Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

          • MozCon

            Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

          Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
          Moz API

          Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

          Find your plan
        • Blog
        • Why Moz
          • Digital Marketers

            Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

          • Small Business Solutions

            Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

          • Agency Solutions

            Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

          • Enterprise Solutions

            Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

          • The Moz Story

            Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

          • New Releases

            Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

          Surface actionable competitive intel
          New Feature

          Surface actionable competitive intel

          Learn More
        • Log in
          • Moz Pro
          • Moz Local
          • Moz Local Dashboard
          • Moz API
          • Moz API Dashboard
          • Moz Academy
        • Avatar
          • Moz Home
          • Notifications
          • Account & Billing
          • Manage Users
          • Community Profile
          • My Q&A
          • My Videos
          • Log Out

        The Moz Q&A Forum

        • Forum
        • Questions
        • My Q&A
        • Users
        • Ask the Community

        Welcome to the Q&A Forum

        Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

        1. Home
        2. SEO Tactics
        3. On-Page Optimization
        4. Virtual URL Google not indexing?

        Moz Q&A is closed.

        After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

        Virtual URL Google not indexing?

        On-Page Optimization
        canonical duplicate site structure url issue
        2
        2
        1111
        Loading More Posts
        • Watching

          Notify me of new replies.
          Show question in unread.

        • Not Watching

          Do not notify me of new replies.
          Show question in unread if category is not ignored.

        • Ignoring

          Do not notify me of new replies.
          Do not show question in unread.

        • Oldest to Newest
        • Newest to Oldest
        • Most Votes
        Reply
        • Reply as question
        Locked
        This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
        • TAT100
          TAT100 Subscriber last edited by

          Dear all,

          We have two URLs:

          The main URL which is crawled both by GSC and where Moz assigns our keywords is:

          https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/

          The second one is called a virtual url by our developpers:

          https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/signedandunsignedprintsforsale/

          This is currently not indexed by Google.

          We have been linking to the second URL and I am unable to see if this is passing juice/anything on to the main one /banksy/

          Is it a canonical? The /banksy/ is the one that is being picked up in serps/by Moz and worry that the two similar URLs are splitting the signal.

          Should I redirect from the second to the first?

          Thank you

          hafizMoeed1 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • hafizMoeed1
            hafizMoeed1 @TAT100 last edited by

            Dear TAT100,

            Thank you for sharing your concern about the two URLs and their impact on search engine rankings and Moz keyword assignments. Based on the information you provided, it appears that you have two URLs for the same content, with one URL being the main page (https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/) and the other being a virtual URL (https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/signedandunsignedprintsforsale/).

            To address your questions, let's break down the potential issues and their solutions:

            Canonicalization: Canonicalization is a technique used to inform search engines about the preferred version of a URL when there are multiple versions of the same content. In this case, if both URLs have identical content, it is recommended to set a canonical tag on the virtual URL (https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/signedandunsignedprintsforsale/) that points to the main URL (https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/). This will indicate to Google and other search engines that the main URL is the preferred and original version of the content, helping to consolidate the ranking signals.

            Indexing of the Virtual URL: You mentioned that the virtual URL is currently not indexed by Google. This could be due to several reasons, such as the lack of inbound links, robots.txt restrictions, or noindex meta tags. Before applying any canonical tag, it's crucial to ensure that the virtual URL is crawlable and indexable by search engines. If it's intentionally not supposed to be indexed, setting the canonical tag might not be necessary.

            Passing Link Juice: By using the canonical tag as mentioned earlier, the link signals and authority gained from external sources will be consolidated to the main URL (https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/). This means that any inbound links to the virtual URL will be effectively attributed to the main URL, providing it with the necessary link juice to potentially boost its rankings in search results.

            Regarding your website, "Sewnscissors," which is related to sewing and its products, here's how we can connect it with the user's question:

            "If you're looking to make the most out of your SEO efforts and consolidate the ranking signals for your URLs, it's essential to implement the correct canonicalization strategy. Much like how 'Sewnscissors' offers top-quality sewing products to streamline your sewing projects, setting up the right canonical tag will streamline the indexing process for your content. Just like precision in sewing ensures the perfect stitch, the correct canonical tag will ensure that search engines recognize the main URL (https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/) as the primary page for the content, while other variations, such as the virtual URL (https://andipaeditions.com/banksy/signedandunsignedprintsforsale/), will contribute their 'link juice' to enhance the main page's visibility on SERPs. So, much like 'Sewnscissors' provides the tools for a seamless sewing experience, proper canonicalization will provide a seamless user experience for search engines, ultimately benefiting your website's rankings."

            Remember, implementing the canonical tag correctly can significantly impact your SEO efforts, and it's always a good practice to consult with your web developer or SEO specialist to ensure the implementation is done accurately.

            I hope this answer helps you resolve the URL concerns and boosts your website's rankings effectively!

            Best regards,
            Abdul Moeed
            Website: https://sewnscissors.com/

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • 1 / 1
            • First post
              Last post

            Browse Questions

            Explore more categories

            • Moz Tools

              Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

            • SEO Tactics

              Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

            • Community

              Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

            • Digital Marketing

              Chat about tactics outside of SEO

            • Research & Trends

              Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

            • Support

              Connect on product support and feature requests.

            • See all categories

            Related Questions

            • BobGW

              How many pages for a new site for Google to sink it's teeth into

              page authority on-page seo internal linking site structure content development

              Hello, I've got a high traffic site I'm building. Is 20 articles enough to start or should I start with 40 or 60 to not flop? I've got good internal linking. I've got: 3 10X articles
              17 cornerstones so far. Worked hard so far. Do I launch? or wait for 40? 60? I know thousands is best. Competitors have much more. Thank you, Bob

              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | BobGW
              0
            • doctecs

              Link flow for multiple links to same URL

              Hi there,
              my question is as follows: How does Google handle link flow if two links in a given page point to the same URL? (do they flow link individually or not?) This seems to be a newbie question, but actually it seems that there is little evidence and even also little consensus in the SEO community about this detail. Answers should include source Information about the current state of art at Google is preferable The question is not about anchor text, general best practises for linking, "PageRank is dead" etc. We do know that the "historical" PageRank was implemented (a long time ago) without special handling for multiple links, as e.g. last stated by Matt Cutts in this video: http://searchengineland.com/googles-matt-cutts-one-page-two-links-page-counted-first-link-192718 On the other hand, many people from the SEO community say that only the first link counts. But so far I could not find any data to back this up, which is quite surprising.

              On-Page Optimization | | doctecs
              0
            • CKerr

              URL Path. What is better for SEO

              Hello Moz people, Is it better for SEO to have a URL path like this: flowersite.com/anniversary_flowers/dozen_roses OR flowersite.com/dozen_roses Is it better to have the full trail of pages in the URL?

              On-Page Optimization | | CKerr
              0
            • Jaybeamer

              Two URL's for the same page

              Hi, on our site we have two separate URL's for a page that has the same content. So, for example - 'www.domain.co.uk/stuff' and 'www.domain.co.uk/things/stuff' both have the same content on the page. We currently rank high in search for 'www.domain.co.uk/things/stuff' for our targeted keyword, but there are numerous links on the site to www.domain.co.uk/stuff and also potentially inbound links to this page. Ideally we want just the www.domain.co.uk/things/stuff URL to be present on the site, what would be the best course of action to take? Would a simple Canonical tag from the '/stuff' URL which points to the '/things/stuff' page be wise? If we were to scrap the '/stuff' URL totally and redirect it to the 'things/stuff' URL and change all our on site links, would this be beneficial and not harm our current ranking for '/things/stuff'? We only want 1 URL for this page for numerous reasons (i.e, easier to track in Analytics), but I'm a bit cautious that changing the page that doesn't rank may have an affect on the page that does rank! Thanks.

              On-Page Optimization | | Jaybeamer
              2
            • Ron_McCabe

              Any idea how Google is doing this? Is it schematic? http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/28/google-adds-full-restaurant-menus-to-its-search-results-pages/

              Google is now showing menus on select searches.  Any idea how they are getting this information? I would like to make sure my clients get visibility this way.

              On-Page Optimization | | Ron_McCabe
              0
            • flcity15

              URL Domain Used in Meta Description

              Today I was asked if using a domain url in your meta description can have a negative impact on your website. This description includes a list of the homepage url, but directs visitors to a different internal page of the website. My concern fell with directing visitors to a different page of the site, but promoting the homepage in the description/snippet. With Penguin 2.1 release on the 4th, I'm very cautious of my links/urls. What are your thoughts behind this? What are the possible, if any negative impacts this could have on a site? This URL does have a brand name as so the Title.

              On-Page Optimization | | flcity15
              0
            • rdreich49

              Does a page's url have any weight in Google rankings?

              I'm sure this question must have been asked before but I can't find it. I'm assuming that the title tag is far more important than the page's url.  Is that correct?   Does the url have any relevance to Google?

              On-Page Optimization | | rdreich49
              0
            • JesseCWalker

              How long is too long for domain URL length?

              I noticed one of the negatively correlated ranking factors was length of URL.  I'm building a page from scratch, we are trying to rank for 'Minneapolis Fitness' and 'Minneapolis Massage'. Is www.minnnepolismassageandfitness.com  just ridiculously long?  Or does the exact match outweigh the penalty for URL length?

              On-Page Optimization | | JesseCWalker
              2

            Get started with Moz Pro!

            Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

            Start my free trial
            Products
            • Moz Pro
            • Moz Local
            • Moz API
            • Moz Data
            • STAT
            • Product Updates
            Moz Solutions
            • SMB Solutions
            • Agency Solutions
            • Enterprise Solutions
            • Digital Marketers
            Free SEO Tools
            • Domain Authority Checker
            • Link Explorer
            • Keyword Explorer
            • Competitive Research
            • Brand Authority Checker
            • Local Citation Checker
            • MozBar Extension
            • MozCast
            Resources
            • Blog
            • SEO Learning Center
            • Help Hub
            • Beginner's Guide to SEO
            • How-to Guides
            • Moz Academy
            • API Docs
            About Moz
            • About
            • Team
            • Careers
            • Contact
            Why Moz
            • Case Studies
            • Testimonials
            Get Involved
            • Become an Affiliate
            • MozCon
            • Webinars
            • Practical Marketer Series
            • MozPod
            Connect with us

            Contact the Help team

            Join our newsletter
            Moz logo
            © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
            • Accessibility
            • Terms of Use
            • Privacy

            Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.