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Why Does My WordPress Website Include Both HTTP and HTTPS in the Canonical URL?

Canonical URLs play a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO). They tell search engines which version of a URL should be considered the authoritative one, thereby preventing duplicate content issues. However, many WordPress users encounter a perplexing issue where their website includes both HTTP and HTTPS in the canonical URL. This can confuse search engines, negatively impact your SEO, and create a poor user experience. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons behind this problem and how you can fix it.

Understanding the Canonical URL

A canonical URL is an HTML element that specifies the preferred URL of a web page. For example, if your website can be accessed via both http://example.com and https://example.com, you should ensure that search engines index only one of these versions. This helps consolidate page ranking and avoids duplicate content penalties.

When a WordPress site incorrectly alternates between HTTP and HTTPS in the canonical URL, it often points to underlying configuration issues.

Common Reasons for HTTP and HTTPS Issues in Canonical URLs

1. Mixed Content Configurations

If your WordPress site is not fully configured for HTTPS, some content might still load via HTTP. This occurs when assets like images, CSS, or JavaScript files are hardcoded with HTTP URLs. Mixed content issues can result in the canonical URL referencing both protocols.

2. Incorrect WordPress Settings

WordPress has two critical settings under Settings > General:

  • WordPress Address (URL)
  • Site Address (URL)

If these fields are not set to HTTPS, WordPress may generate HTTP URLs for certain resources, including the canonical URL.

3. Improper SSL Configuration

A misconfigured SSL certificate or lack of a proper redirection from HTTP to HTTPS can cause your site to serve content over both protocols. Without a proper 301 redirect, search engines might crawl both versions and index them with separate canonical tags.

4. Caching Plugins

Caching plugins can sometimes serve outdated or incorrect versions of your site. If the cached pages were generated before your site was fully switched to HTTPS, they may still reference HTTP in the canonical URL.

5. Hardcoded Links in Theme or Plugins

Themes or plugins may include hardcoded HTTP URLs, which override the global settings in WordPress. These hardcoded links can influence the canonical URL.

6. Third-Party SEO Plugins

If you’re using an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, incorrect settings in these plugins can also lead to HTTP and HTTPS inconsistencies in the canonical URL.

How to Fix the Issue

To resolve the problem, follow these steps:

1. Update WordPress Address and Site Address

Ensure both fields under Settings > General are set to the HTTPS version of your site. For example:

  • WordPress Address (URL): https://example.com
  • Site Address (URL): https://example.com

2. Enforce HTTPS with 301 Redirects

Add the following code to your .htaccess file to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

Alternatively, configure HTTPS redirection in your hosting control panel if it offers this feature.

3. Fix Mixed Content

Use a plugin like Better Search Replace to update all HTTP URLs in your database to HTTPS. Additionally, ensure your theme and plugins use HTTPS for assets.

4. Verify SSL Configuration

Check that your SSL certificate is valid and installed correctly. Tools like SSL Labs can help you test your site’s SSL setup.

5. Clear Caches

Clear your caching plugin and CDN caches to ensure all pages are served with the correct protocol.

6. Review Theme and Plugins

Inspect your theme’s code and deactivate plugins one by one to identify any hardcoded HTTP links. Replace them with HTTPS URLs.

7. Check SEO Plugin Settings

If you’re using an SEO plugin, review its canonical URL settings. Ensure that the plugin correctly generates HTTPS URLs for all pages.

8. Test the Fixes

After implementing the fixes, use Google Search Console or an SEO tool like Screaming Frog to verify that your site’s canonical URLs consistently use HTTPS.

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