"My employer, a c2c e-commerce platform, is currently discussing whether to continue using self-referencing canonicals on paginated pages within our categories. There are varying opinions within the meeting about this decision.We have a large number of active listings and products, with over 600k spread across 50+ categories. This means each category has an average of over 10k products, with each category having over 500 paginated pages.
Google suggests assigning each paginated page its own canonical tag, which we used to do in the past. However, after implementing this practice, we noticed some paginated pages were ranking for our targeted keywords instead of the first page. Furthermore, we are concerned about the distribution of link equity among the 500 pages in each category, potentially impacting our rankings.
I would appreciate hearing others’ opinions on this matter. Thank you for your help."
It’s a complex issue with no single right answer, as different strategies work best for different businesses. However, given the sheer volume of pages and products you’re dealing with, the potential downsides of self-referencing canonicals might outweigh the benefits.
The concerns about link equity distribution and potential ranking issues for paginated pages are valid. Instead of self-referencing, consider assigning unique canonical tags to each paginated page, as Google recommends. This will help Google understand the structure of your site better and potentially improve the ranking of your category pages.
However, remember to monitor your rankings closely after implementing any changes. You may need to adjust your strategy if you see a negative impact.