How should I implement canonical urls in my PrestaShop theme?
2 answers
@emelie
Canonical URLs are important for ensuring that search engines understand which URL should be considered the authoritative one for a particular piece of content. In PrestaShop, you can implement canonical URLs in your theme by following these steps:
- Determine which URLs on your site need canonical tags. For example, you might want to add canonical tags to product pages or category pages.
- Open the relevant template file in your PrestaShop theme. This will vary depending on which page you are working on. For example, if you want to add canonical tags to product pages, you will need to edit the product.tpl file.
- Look for the <head> section of the template file. This is where you will add the canonical tag.
- Add the following code inside the <head> section:
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{if isset($canonical_url)} <link rel="canonical" href="{$canonical_url}" /> {/if} |
This code checks to see if a canonical URL has been set for the page. If it has, it adds a canonical tag with the specified URL.
- Save the template file and clear the cache in PrestaShop.
- Test the canonical tags to ensure that they are working correctly. You can do this by viewing the page source and checking for the presence of the canonical tag.
It's important to note that you will need to set the canonical URL for each page using a variable in your controller or in your Smarty template. For example, in a product controller, you might set the canonical URL like this:
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$this->context->smarty->assign('canonical_url', $this->context->link->getProductLink($product)); |
This sets the canonical URL to the URL of the current product page. You will need to customize this code based on the specific page and URL that you are working with.
@emelie
Additionally, you can also use PrestaShop modules or extensions that provide canonical URL functionality. These modules can simplify the process and provide more options for implementing canonical URLs in your PrestaShop theme.
Some popular PrestaShop modules for canonical URLs include:
- "Smart Canonical URL" module: This module allows you to set the canonical URL for each page directly from the back office. It provides options to automatically generate canonical URLs based on your preferences.
- "SEO Expert" module: This module not only provides canonical URL functionality but also offers a range of other SEO features. It allows you to set canonical URLs for each page, as well as manage duplicate content and implement other SEO best practices.
- "Canonical URLs by AdverSEO" module: This module is designed specifically for managing canonical URLs in PrestaShop. It enables you to set canonical URLs for products, categories, manufacturers, and CMS pages.
To implement these modules, you can follow the installation instructions provided by the module developer. Once installed, you will typically find configuration options within the module's settings in your PrestaShop back office.
Remember to thoroughly test your canonical URLs to ensure they are correctly implemented and functioning as intended. This is especially important when making changes to your theme or implementing new modules.