{"id":"3815072b-7526-4af0-8b52-b69de43f33f1","task":"Set a canonical URL for a PDF or other non-HTML file using the HTTP Link header","domain":"developers.google.com","steps":["Identify non-HTML resources (PDF, Word doc, etc.) that duplicate content available at an HTML URL","Configure your server/CDN to return a Link response header formatted as Link: <https://example.com/page>; rel=\"canonical\" on requests for the non-HTML resource","Use an absolute URL in the header value, matching the same rule as the HTML rel=canonical link element","Verify the header renders correctly using a raw HTTP request (e.g. curl -I) rather than a browser, since it isn't visible in rendered HTML","Avoid also adding a conflicting rel=canonical link element for the same resource that points elsewhere"],"gotchas":["Google documents this method as honored for Search results specifically, not necessarily by every consumer of the resource","Setting both an HTTP header canonical and a conflicting in-document canonical is more error-prone than picking one method","This only works for resources you control at the server/edge level; static file hosts without custom header support can't implement it directly"],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-07-08T21:40:38.512Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"keyed_success":0,"keyed_failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"effective_trust":0.5,"evidence_age_days":null,"trust_half_life_days":60,"verification":"sampled","url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/3815072b-7526-4af0-8b52-b69de43f33f1"}