Dev.to's RSS Canonical Feature: Friend or Foe for Your SEO? Automate Content Publishing
Hey SEO Sleuths and Content Creators! Why hesitate with Dev.to's RSS Canonical Feature? Think about it – automating your content publishing directly to the awesome Dev.to the community! You should definitely appreciate how helpful this feature is.
Don't worry, we get it done for your clarification, whether it is a friend or foe for your SEO?
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Ever felt that little flutter of excitement
mixed with a dash of panic when syndicating your content? You want the extra
reach platforms like Dev.to offer, but the nagging voice in the back of your
head whispers...
Understanding Site Canonicals vs. Syndication Canonicals
What's Content
Syndication & Why Bother?
Broader Reach: Increased Visibility: Brand Building:
The Duplicate
Content Conundrum
Enter the Hero: The rel="canonical" Tag
How Dev.to's
"Mark as Canonical" Feature Works (Using SEOSiri as Example)
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.seosiri.com/cool-seo-tips-article">
Notice: The canonical tag points back to the original
post URL on seosiri.com, not the
feed URL or the Dev.to URL. Dev.to intelligently extract the specific post's
link from your feed item.
Why This is AWESOME for SEOSiri's SEO (and Yours!)
So, does this feature cause any SEO disruption for seosiri.com? Absolutely NOT! In
fact, it does the exact opposite:
- Prevents Duplicate Content Issues: It clearly tells
search engines that the version on seosiri.com is
the original.
- Consolidates Ranking Signals: Any authority, links, or
positive signals the Dev.to version might attract are largely attributed back
to your original seosiri.com post.
Boom!
- Protects Your Original Content: It ensures your main site remains the primary source in the eyes of search engines.
How to Verify the Canonical Tag on Dev.to (The Quick Tech Check!)
Okay, theory is great, but how can you see this
in action and be 100% sure it's working for your posts imported from,
say, https://www.seosiri.com/feeds/posts/default?
Self-Correction/Verification: While Dev.to is generally
reliable, it's always good practice to occasionally check the source code of
one of your syndicated posts on Dev.to (Right-click -> View Page Source or
use browser developer tools) and confirm that the <link rel="canonical" href="[your original
seosiri.com post URL]"> tag is present and points
to the correct URL. Peace of mind is priceless!
Here's how to quickly check the source code:
Navigate to Your Post on Dev.to: Open one of your
articles on the dev.to site
that was imported via the RSS feed.
- View Page Source: Right-click anywhere on the page (but not directly on an image or link). In the menu that pops up, select "View Page Source" (this might be called slightly different things in different browsers, like "Show Page Source").
- Alternatively, for the more technically
inclined: Right-click and choose "Inspect" or "Inspect
Element". This opens the browser's developer tools. You'll need to look
inside the <head> section
of the HTML code displayed.
Search for "canonical":
If you used "View Page Source," a new tab or window
opens with the page's HTML code. Press Ctrl+F (Windows/Linux)
or Cmd+F (Mac)
to open the find bar, and type canonical.
If you used "Inspect," look within the <head>...</head> tags
for a line starting with <link
rel="canonical" ...>.
Check the href: You
should find a line that looks like this:
<link rel="canonical" href="[URL of your original post]">
Verify that the href value
is the exact URL of your original blog post on your own domain (e.g., https://www.seosiri.com/your-specific-post-slug).
It should not be the Dev.to the URL or your feed URL.
If you see that tag correctly pointing back to your
original seosiri.com article
(or whichever your source domain is), then congratulations! The Dev.to
"Mark as Canonical" feature is working perfectly, protecting your
SEO.
That little checkbox in Dev.to is your best friend when syndicating content via RSS. It automates a crucial SEO best practice, ensuring your original content gets the credit it deserves and preventing potential duplicate content headaches.
So, if you're using Dev.to's RSS import ( Automated Content Publishing) feature (pulling
from your feed like https://www.seosiri.com/feeds/posts/default or
any other), definitely keep that "Mark the RSS source as canonical
URL by default" box checked! It's designed specifically to help, not
hinder, your site's SEO performance. Trust the tech, but verify!
Do you syndicate your content? Have you ever worried about duplicate content issues? Did you try checking the canonical tag yourself? Share your experiences and questions in the comments below – let's learn together!
Follow my work on Dev.to, and let's connect on WhatsApp to discuss your SEO and Digital Marketing Consultancy needs!
Thank youMomenul Ahmad
MomenulAhmad: Helping businesses, brands, and professionals with ethical SEO and digital Marketing. Digital Marketing Writer, Digital Marketing Blog (Founding) Owner at SEOSiri, Pabna, Partner at Brand24, Triple Whale, Shopify, CookieYes, Automattic, Inc.
N.B. In grammatical terms, dev.to is not a word or a separated word; rather dev.to is a web URL with a suffix .to
Follow my work on Dev.to, and let's connect on WhatsApp to discuss your SEO and Digital Marketing Consultancy needs!
MomenulAhmad: Helping businesses, brands, and professionals with ethical SEO and digital Marketing. Digital Marketing Writer, Digital Marketing Blog (Founding) Owner at SEOSiri, Pabna, Partner at Brand24, Triple Whale, Shopify, CookieYes, Automattic, Inc.
N.B. In grammatical terms, dev.to is not a word or a separated word; rather dev.to is a web URL with a suffix .to
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