How can I set the correct canonical URL on my Webflow site to point to the original domain where my site is hosted?
TL;DR
- Set your preferred primary domain in Webflow's Hosting tab and mark it with the star icon.
- Enable "Redirect to primary domain" to route all traffic to it and let Webflow auto-generate canonical tags using that domain.
To ensure search engines index the correct version of your site, you need to set a canonical URL pointing to your primary domain in Webflow.
1. Choose Your Primary Domain
- Go to Project Settings > Hosting tab.
- Under Custom Domains, you'll see all connected domains.
- Click the star icon next to your desired primary domain (e.g., www.example.com) to make it the default (canonical) domain.
- Webflow will automatically generate canonical tags to reference this domain.
2. Ensure Auto Canonical Tag Is Active
- Webflow automatically adds canonical tags pointing to the current URL using the primary domain.
- To verify, publish your site, then view the page source in the browser and search for the
<link rel="canonical">tag — it should point to your selected domain (e.g., https://www.example.com/about).
3. Avoid Manual Canonical Tags (Unless Needed)
- If you manually add a canonical tag in the Page Settings > Custom Code, it will override the automatic one.
- Only use manual canonical tags if you want to enforce a different canonical URL than the one Webflow generates by default.
4. Redirect Non-Primary Domains
- In the Hosting tab, enable the option to Redirect all traffic to the primary domain. This ensures all alternate domains (e.g., example.webflow.io) redirect to your set canonical domain.
Summary
Set your primary domain in the Hosting tab in Webflow's Project Settings and optionally enable Redirect to primary domain. Webflow will then auto-generate the correct canonical URL pointing to your hosted domain.