Google Flagging Incorrect Canonical URL on Shopify Site

Andy Strager

Jan 15, 2025, 1:20 PM

Hey all, weird one. So today I had a URL flagged for "Google chose different canonicla" for <http://example.com|example.com>. It is saying <http://example.shop|example.shop> is what they are showing.

The client does not own <http://example.shop|example.shop>. I have also never seen this before.

When I run a site search, it is turning up what I think is the entire site duplicated on <http://example.shop|example.shop>.

This is a shopify build. Please tell me someone didn't scrape a replicate the site as a scam.

Forwarded thread from another channel:

Jimmy Lange

Jan 15, 2025, 1:33 PM

Have you looked up the <https://lookup.icann.org/en|WHOIS> for the shop domain? Might be worth reviewing to see when the site first came up and any other information you can glean from it.

Outside of that, I haven’t seen this myself either. Thinking out loud, were there any Shopify plugins added recently or any used currently with exploits? Considering there’s a shop TLD I doubt that’s just it, but I’ve seen things like this happen with Wordpress/Drupal sites in the past and wouldn’t rule it out.

FWIW, <https://community.shopify.com/c/shopify-discussions/was-there-a-shopify-data-leak/td-p/2913521|here’s a post from yesterday from the Shopify forum> regarding a potential data leak, but this is a sample of 1 so who knows.

ICANN Lookup

The ICANN registration data lookup tool gives you the ability to look up the current registration data for domain names and Internet number resources.

Andy Strager

Jan 15, 2025, 1:34 PM

I did run a whois and everything is marked as private. I did see it is different nameservers though which leads me to believe it is someone else

Andy Strager

Jan 15, 2025, 1:53 PM

The site is also relatively new, just Sept 13th of this year

Andy Strager

Jan 15, 2025, 1:53 PM

Er, 2024

Jimmy Lange

Jan 15, 2025, 1:57 PM

If you’d like another set of eyes to check out the shop site, please feel free to DM me the link. I’m curious if the HTTP header responses or if some of the site’s code can help pinpoint how this happened.

Kai Davis

Jan 15, 2025, 5:35 PM

> This is a shopify build. Please tell me someone didn't scrape a replicate the site as a scam.

I've run into this multiple times on client's sites -- scammers cloned the entire site onto a shopify site. mostly with shopify sites, one time with an agency-client's wordpress content site.

i've never seen the duplicate site show up as a suggested canonical though, that's a bit shocking!

Kai Davis

Jan 15, 2025, 5:35 PM

happy to take a look and share what i see, feel free to DM

Akarsh Kavuttan

Jan 16, 2025, 1:46 AM

@kai curious to know how did you handle the situations previously?

Andy Drinkwater

Jan 16, 2025, 4:44 AM

If I am understanding this correctly, I agree it does indeed sound like someone has cloned the site. You need to start by contacting Shopify and advising them of this and try to get that site taken down as quickly as possible.

From what I have experienced in dealings with them before, they are pretty quick to hop on anything that could put visitors at risk.

Andy Strager

Jan 16, 2025, 6:25 AM

@kai Jimmy was a rockstar and helped me out, I already have the client filling out the appropriate forms. Thank you for the offer though!

Yeah, the canonical was a real surprise to me. I have dealt with some malicious actors before, but this is the first time that Google was choosing that one over the original. It was just one URL, but it was for a brand new product line we were launching, it was the collection page. I guess with it being such a new page that played a factor into it.

Andy Strager

Jan 16, 2025, 6:26 AM

@info313 The client is going through GoDaddy. I advocated for Shopify because they have a good status with Shopify and get quick responses. They want it taken down at the domain level so that they can purchase the domain.

I am hoping I can get them to pursue both avenues.

Andy Drinkwater

Jan 16, 2025, 7:34 AM

Hopefully all goes according to plan :)

Andy Strager

Jan 16, 2025, 7:47 AM

Fingers crossed ???? I'll update in here once I have some info

Kai Davis

Jan 16, 2025, 1:33 PM

@akarsh Andy hit on a number of points already. In the past we went through the registrar/domain owner, the hosting company/platform, lawyers, etc. A few clients immediately lawyered up and DMCA'd and the site was down shortly thereafter. Others went through platform and got to a similar end point.

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