What is Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user Error on GSC?

Google Search Console is showing Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user Error and mentioned as These pages aren't indexed or served on Google.

Now what is error actually mean? Jump into direct answer, you can search and get results anywhere online - Google Search, SEO Forums (Reddit & Quora), YouTube, etc. But still the issue might be there. I hope so. This can lead to indexing issues, ranking fluctuations, and even lost traffic.

But why does this happen, and what can you do about it? Let’s break it down.

Google’s algorithm determines the "best" version of a page based on several factors (Apprx. more than 2000), even if you’ve explicitly set a canonical tag. Here are some common reasons:

1. Internal Linking Signals: If most internal links point to a different URL than your chosen canonical, Google may override your preference.
2. Content Differences: If the "duplicate" page has slight variations (e.g., additional content, better-structured data), Google might favor it.
3. Historical Indexing: If another URL was indexed first or has stronger backlinks (here backlinks counts internal links also), Google may keep it as canonical.
4. HTTP vs. HTTPS or WWW vs. Non-WWW: Inconsistent URL structures can confuse Google’s canonicalization.

So, how can you fix this Google’s Canonical Error - Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user?

I will guide you with an my live eCommerce website.

From above image you can able to see 2 links has issue - Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user. Did you found what is actually issue?

The issue because the URL has <SPACE> at end end. You can able see from second link before parameter ?page=3

Is this an issue on ranking? YES. because it is showing as an issue on Google Search Console.

What you wanted to do by then to resolve this issue? Check for all pages whether any content has internal linking with <SPACE>. Edit the links by removing space on URL tag. Apply again to Google Search Console to Re-Index with the changes and wait for few hours. (Re-indexing timeframe may go upto days also based on your Domain and Page Authority).

Now Done! Yes. Even Space and Special Characters do matter a lot on URLs. URLs are address to any type of content available publicly.

Final thoughts: These type of issue won't damper your business if website has less than 1000 pages But it might cause bigger problem for larger websites such as eCommerce. These type of issues occurs often when website is build by using CMS Platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, & Others.

Have you faced this issue before? How did you resolve it? OR Do you have opinion on this? Share your thoughts in the comments!