<b>"Set a canonical tag and Google will index the version you chose."</b>

<b>"Set a canonical tag and Google will index the version you chose."</b>

The canonical is a <i>suggestion</i>. Google overrules it constantly.

The rel=canonical tag tells Google which URL you consider the master copy of duplicate-ish content. Useful, real, worth doing. But it is a hint, not a command — Google weighs your canonical against signals like internal links, sitemap inclusion, and which version actually gets links, then picks its own canonical, which may not be yours.

Here's the trap people fall into. They canonical page B to page A, then keep linking to B everywhere, put B in the sitemap, and point external links at B. Google reads the conflict, decides B is clearly the real one, and ignores the tag. Now you're confused why "the canonical isn't working."

It's working fine. You're sending contradictory signals and the tag is the weakest one.

Make your canonical agree with your internal links, your sitemap, and your redirects. Consensus, not a single tag, is what Google honors.

(Self-referencing canonicals on unique pages: harmless, fine, do it. Cross-canonical to a page you keep promoting: pick a side.)