How can I fix the canonicalization error with Webflow's Glossary page when using Finsweet attributes Library for filtering and loading the CMS?
- Manually add a static canonical tag in the page's head to point to the base Glossary URL.
- Disable Finsweet URL updates using settings like
data-load-more-history="false". - Optionally block query parameters in robots.txt (e.g.,
Disallow: /*?fs-) to reduce duplicate indexing. - Verify fixes using Google Search Console to ensure proper canonical recognition.
Canonicalization errors can occur in Webflow when using tools like Finsweet's Attributes Library for filtering and load-more features, especially on CMS-driven pages like a Glossary. These errors often result from URLs with query parameters (e.g., ?fs-show-more=2) being indexed by search engines as separate pages.
1. Understand the Issue
- Finsweet Attributes uses URL query parameters or hash fragments for filters, search, pagination, or load-more features.
- Search engines may see those URLs as unique pages, leading to duplicate content and canonicalization issues.
- Webflow’s default canonical tag always points to the current URL, including query parameters.
2. Set a Canonical Meta Tag Manually
To override the default behavior, set a static canonical URL in the page’s custom code.
Go to the Glossary CMS Template or the static Glossary Page in Webflow.
In the Page Settings, scroll to the Custom Code » Inside
<head>section.Add this line:
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.yourdomain.com/glossary" />Replace
https://www.yourdomain.com/glossarywith the actual canonical URL of your glossary page (ensure it’s the base URL without any query parameters).
3. Prevent Finsweet from Updating the URL (if possible)
- If you're using features like load-more, use the
data-load-more-history="false"attribute to prevent URL parameters from being added. - For filters or search, avoid using
data-filter-urlor disable history update if you don’t need shareable URLs.
Example: <div fs-load-more-element data-load-more-history="false">
4. Use robots.txt Rules (Optional)
To reduce indexation of filtered URLs, you can block URLs with query parameters via your robots.txt.
Go to Webflow Project Settings > SEO > robots.txt
Add a rule like:
Disallow: /*?fs-This tells search engines not to crawl any URL with Finsweet query parameters.
Note: Use this only if you're confident these variations don't need to be indexed.
5. Monitor in Google Search Console
- After changes, use Google Search Console to inspect affected URLs.
- Check that canonical URLs are correctly recognized and that duplicate issues are resolved over time.
Summary
To fix canonicalization issues on a Finsweet-enhanced Glossary page, manually set a static canonical tag, optionally disable URL parameter updates in Finsweet settings, and consider disallowing those URLs in robots.txt. This ensures only one clean version of your page is indexed.