Consolidation of ranking signals: Canonical URLs consolidate ranking signals such as backlinks, anchor text, and authority metrics, helping to improve the overall search engine visibility and ranking of a web page.

Prevention of duplicate content penalties: By specifying the canonical URL, webmasters can prevent search engines from indexing and penalizing duplicate or near-duplicate content, ensuring that the correct version of the page is displayed in search results.

Improved crawl efficiency: Canonical URLs help search engine crawlers understand the preferred version of a page, leading to more efficient crawling and indexing of content and reducing crawl budget waste.

Enhanced user experience: Canonicalization ensures that users are directed to the most relevant and authoritative version of a page, resulting in a better user experience and increased trust in the website.

Potential misimplementation: Incorrect implementation of canonical URLs, such as using them inconsistently or pointing to the wrong page, can lead to indexing issues and negatively impact search engine rankings.

Complexity for large websites: Managing canonical URLs for large websites with numerous pages and content variations can be challenging and prone to errors, requiring careful planning and ongoing maintenance.

Dependency on search engines: Canonicalization relies on search engines properly interpreting and honoring canonical tags, and any discrepancies or errors in interpretation can result in unintended consequences for website visibility and ranking.

Limited control over third-party links: Webmasters have limited control over how third-party websites link to their content, and incorrect canonicalization by external sources can lead to canonicalization conflicts and potential SEO issues.