Duplicate, Google Chose Different Canonical Than User

What’s actually happening

You set `rel=canonical` to page A, but URL Inspection reports the Google-selected canonical as page B, and page A doesn't appear in search. Unlike the "Alternate page" status, this is Google overriding you — it judged a different URL more authoritative. The page you wanted ranking is effectively invisible, and its signals are being credited to the URL Google picked.

Common causes

• Conflicting signals: your `rel=canonical` says A, but internal links, the sitemap, or a redirect mostly point at B, so Google trusts the majority.
• Two pages are near-identical (thin or templated content) and Google folds them into the one it considers stronger.
• The Google-selected URL has more internal links, more backlinks, or a cleaner URL, outweighing your declared canonical.
• Canonical pointing to a non-indexable target (noindex, redirected, or 404'd), so Google discards it and chooses its own.
• Mixed protocol/host versions where HTTPS and the canonical disagree, leaving Google to break the tie.

How to fix it

1. See which URL Google actually pickedRun URL Inspection on your preferred page and read both fields. The Google-selected canonical tells you exactly which URL is absorbing the equity, which scopes the rest of the work.
2. Make every signal point to one URLAlign them all on your preferred canonical: self-referential `rel=canonical` on that page, internal links using that exact URL (no parameter or trailing-slash drift), the sitemap listing only it, and any redirects resolving to it. Google follows consensus, not a lone tag.
3. Differentiate or consolidate near-duplicatesIf two pages are too similar, either make the preferred one substantially more useful (depth, unique content) or 301-redirect the weaker into it and stop maintaining both. Don't ask Google to keep two thin twins apart.
4. Check the canonical target is indexableConfirm your declared canonical returns 200, isn't noindexed, and isn't itself redirected. A canonical pointing at a dead or blocked URL gets ignored outright.
5. Recrawl and validateAfter the signals agree, use URL Inspection > Request Indexing on the preferred URL and Validate Fix on the issue group. Reconciliation takes one or more crawl cycles — recheck the Google-selected canonical in a week or two.