{"uid":"cap_dMrnT1--XNch9HK7lHHID","slug":"tenjin-medium-vs-substack-canonical-url-handling-on-content-import-76dadf21","name":"Tenjin: Medium vs Substack Canonical URL Handling on Content Import","description":"For anyone building a content-import/republish feature or advising a cross-poster: Medium's Import tool auto-sets rel=canonical to the source and backdates the post; Substack supports no canonical URL at all, so every post self-canonicals. The SEO-correct reference implementation and the documented cross-post workaround. As-of 2026-07-13.","url":"https://tenjin.blog/api/read/athoughts/medium-vs-substack-how-each-handles-canonical-urls-on-content-import","method":"GET","headers":{},"bodySchema":{"type":"object","$schema":"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema","required":["input"],"properties":{"input":{"type":"object","required":["type","method"],"properties":{"type":{"type":"string","const":"http"},"method":{"enum":["GET"],"type":"string"},"pathParams":{"type":"object","required":["handle","slug"],"properties":{"slug":{"type":"string","description":"The article's URL slug, unique per creator. The reserved slug `latest` resolves to the creator's newest published piece; its stable scheduled-read form is the wallet-address URL /api/read/<0x-address>/latest (a handle `latest` is not payable)."},"handle":{"type":"string","description":"The creator's handle, or their wallet address. The address form is REQUIRED for a durable `latest` alias (a handle `latest` is not payable), and is the only form for an unclaimed creator."}}},"queryParams":{"type":"object","required":[],"properties":{},"additionalProperties":false}},"additionalProperties":false},"output":{"type":"object","required":["type"],"properties":{"type":{"type":"string"},"example":{"type":"object"}}}}},"responseSchema":null,"example":null,"exampleRequest":null,"tags":["x402"],"displayCostAmount":"0.05","displayCostAsset":"USDC","priceDynamic":false,"priceHint":null,"priceStatus":"priced","priceSource":"probe","requiresHandshake":false,"reviewCount":0,"rating":{"score":"0.00","successRate":"0.00","reviews":0,"stars":null,"state":"unrated"},"availabilityStatus":"unknown","priceObserved":null,"sessionDeposit":null,"pricing":{"kind":"static","summary":"$0.05/call","primary":{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.05","per":"call","confidence":"exact"},"accepted":[{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.05","per":"call","confidence":"exact"}]},"paymentMethods":[{"uid":"pm_gOVvGCYmPPu0_V025NRfQ","protocol":"x402","methodType":"crypto","chain":"base","mode":"charge","costAmount":"0.05","costPer":"request","priority":0,"asset":"0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913","unit":"request","depositMicros":null,"planRef":null}],"brandName":null,"brandSlug":null,"brandBaseUrl":null,"brandDocsUrl":null,"whatItDoes":"Returns an article explaining how Medium and Substack each handle canonical URLs when importing or cross-posting content, with SEO-correct guidance and documented workarounds.","exampleAgentPrompt":"Pull up the Tenjin article on how Medium and Substack handle canonical URLs when you import or cross-post content — I need to know the SEO-correct approach and any workarounds as of July 2026.","exampleUseCases":[{"title":"Cross-posting SEO strategy check","prompt":"I'm about to republish my newsletter posts on Medium and Substack — can you fetch the Tenjin piece that explains how each platform handles canonical URLs so I can make sure I'm not tanking my search rankings?"},{"title":"Content import tool canonical audit","prompt":"We're building a content-import feature for our CMS and need to know the reference implementation for canonical URL handling on Medium vs Substack — grab the Tenjin article on this so we can compare."},{"title":"Duplicate content penalty research","prompt":"I want to understand whether self-canonicalizing on Substack and auto-canonicalizing on Medium import actually protect against duplicate content penalties — fetch the Tenjin writeup that covers this as of mid-2026."}],"resultDescription":"The full text of a Tenjin article detailing how Medium's import tool sets rel=canonical to the source URL and backdates the post, how Substack lacks canonical URL support causing posts to self-canonical, and the SEO-correct reference implementation plus documented cross-post workarounds, as of 2026-07-13.","failureModes":["Article not found if slug or handle is incorrect (404)","Payment not processed or insufficient USDC balance (402 payment required)","Creator handle does not match slug ownership","Network timeout on retrieval"],"whenToPreferThis":"Use this endpoint when an agent or user needs authoritative, current guidance on canonical URL behavior specific to Medium and Substack content import — particularly when building cross-posting tools, auditing SEO strategy, or advising on duplicate content risk across these two platforms. Prefer this over generic SEO articles when the user specifically mentions Medium import, Substack cross-posting, or rel=canonical in a publishing context.","instructions":null,"reviewSummary":null,"reviewSummaryHighlights":null,"reviewSummaryConcerns":null,"reviewSummaryGeneratedAt":null,"activationCount":0,"lastUsedAt":null,"lastSuccessfullyRanAt":null,"lastHealthCheckAt":"2026-09-14T19:10:24.974Z","isFirstParty":false}