Canonical URL is the Shortener URL

[alika]

What is the impact of setting the shortener URL as the canonical URL?

New site still in development shows the canonical to be:

<link rel="canonical" href="[SHORTENED URL]"/>

instead of showing the full URL

What is the impact of this in terms of Google? Is this kosher? Or should I insist to the developers to use the full URL as the canonical URL?

[aakk9999]

What do you mean by "shortened URL" ? Do you mean URL created by URL shortener?

If so, then I think using this as a canonical is a bad idea since it is physically on a different domain even though it will redirect to a page.

[lucy24]

Overlapping aakk, who said the same thing in 1/4 as may words. As usual.

When you say "shortened URL" do you mean something that's routed via an URL-shortening service, so it says "abc.de/fgh" when it's really "example.com/directory/subdirectory/long-complicated-name?with-still-longer-query" so every single link on the site effectively points to a 301?

What on earth is the advantage? Seems like something you'd only do if the site had a lot of ugc on a platform that didn't allow for anchor text, but only naked links.

Otherwise what you get is: Human users who don't know what an URL is would just click on the anchor, which could say anything you like:

<a href = "http://abc.de/fgh">click to make your dreams come true</a>

looks identical to

<a href = "/directory/subdirectory/long-complicated-name?with-still-longer-query">click to make your dreams come true</a>

while users who do know what an URL is will take a moment to hover over the link-- and might then retreat in suspicion when they notice it points to a different domain.

:: uneasily wondering why "http://abc.de" didn't auto-link, even before I wrapped it in [ code ] tags ::

Or did I completely misunderstand the question? Wouldn't be the first time.

[alika]

Yes you got that right. They created a custom link shortener for branding purposes, and the site developers used that for canonicals.

The site is still in development. But still, for a 6-figure site development contract, you'd think they'd know better :o)

Thanks guys. I just need something easily understandable as to why it is wrong to do it to convince the higher ups

[aakk9999]

<off topic>

Overlapping aakk, who said the same thing in 1/4 as may words. As usual.

Yes, but often a longer naration is necessary. Not everybody gets it from 2 sentences... ;-)
</offtopic>