GitHub hosted page shows github.io URL in search results

Question

I have a website hosted using GitHub Pages, and have set up a custom domain according to the GitHub documentation (https://help.github.com/articles/using-a-custom-domain-with-github-pages/)

As a result, the website is accessible via two different URLs:

• http://www.example.com
• https://example.github.io

The former is considered canonical, and the latter immediately redirects to the former. However, when searching for my website via Google, the search results display the latter (https://example.github.io) URL -- although clicking into this result immediately redirects to http://www.example.com.

How can I inform Google that the canonical URL of this page is http://www.example.com?

Answer 1

If the old sub domain now redirects to a new domain then you have already told Google the canonical version by doing so.

Google often takes several days and even weeks to drop a previous ranked site. The time can vary from site to site, from niche to niche. So, seeing both versions of the site is common and will resolve itself in time, Google does this intentionally to avoid webmasters losing sites from a temporary error with their site.