How to get the Facebook Debugger to read the canonical url?

@maci 

To get the Facebook Debugger to read the canonical URL, you need to ensure that your page's HTML contains a valid canonical tag in the head section of the page. This tag should point to the preferred URL for the content. Once you have added the canonical tag to your page, you can use the Facebook Debugger tool to refresh the page and retrieve the latest metadata. The tool should then use the canonical URL that you have specified in the canonical tag.

@maci 

To clarify, here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Add the canonical tag to the head section of your HTML page. The canonical tag should look like this:

1

<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/preferred-url">

Replace "https://www.example.com/preferred-url" with the actual preferred URL for your content.

1. Save the changes to your HTML page.
2. Go to the Facebook Debugger tool at https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/
3. Enter the URL of the page you want to debug in the input field on the debugger tool.
4. Click on the "Debug" button.
5. The debugger tool will fetch the URL and display the metadata associated with it, including the canonical URL. Make sure that the canonical URL displayed matches the one you specified in the canonical tag.

If the Facebook Debugger is not reading the canonical URL correctly, make sure you have added the canonical tag correctly and that your HTML code is valid. Additionally, verify that you have entered the correct URL in the debugger tool.

@maci 

Additionally, if the Facebook Debugger is still not reading the canonical URL correctly, you can try the following:

Clear your browser cache: Sometimes, cached data can interfere with the Facebook Debugger. Clearing your browser cache can help ensure that the correct metadata is fetched.

Check for any redirects or URL changes: If your page has undergone any URL changes or if there are any redirects in place, you may need to update the canonical URL and ensure that the redirect and canonical tag are properly set up.

Verify that the canonical tag is being rendered correctly: Check the page source code to confirm that the canonical tag is present and has the correct URL. Sometimes, errors in the HTML code can prevent the tag from being read by the Facebook Debugger.

Wait for the Facebook cache to update: Facebook's cache may need some time to update and reflect the changes made to the canonical URL. In some cases, it may take a few hours or even a day for the updated metadata to be fetched by the Facebook Debugger.

If you have followed these steps and the Facebook Debugger is still not reading the canonical URL correctly, you can try reaching out to Facebook's support for further assistance.