What Is Duplicate Content? + How to Fix It for Better SEO

What Is Duplicate Content?

Duplicate contented is erstwhile identical aliases highly akin contented appears astatine much than 1 URL connected the internet, affecting the rankings of 1 aliases much of the pages.

This rumor tin hap connected your ain website (internal copy content) aliases crossed different websites (external copy content).

For a page to suffice arsenic a duplicate, it must have:

• Noticeable overlap successful wording, structure, and format pinch different piece
• Little to nary original information
• No added worth for the scholar compared to a akin page

How Does Duplicate Content Affect SEO?

Duplicate contented tin harm your hunt rankings—regardless of whether plagiarism occurs internally aliases externally.

With soul duplication, your ain pages cannibalize each other's ranking potential. And pinch outer duplication, there's a consequence that different site's transcript could rank alternatively of your original content.

You whitethorn besides brushwood further soul challenges:

• Diluted backlink power: Backlinks are links connected different sites pointing to your tract that walk ranking powerfulness to your pages. If you person identical pages that each get backlinks from different websites, you're splitting your ranking powerfulness alternatively of concentrating it connected 1 main URL.
• Wasted crawl budget: Search engines person constricted clip and resources (called crawl budget) to research your site. When they crawl aggregate versions of the aforesaid content, that tin forestall important pages from being crawled and indexed—especially if your website is large.

Common Causes of Duplicate Content

It’s adjuvant to understand what causes copy contented successful the first place, truthful you tin return steps to forestall it.

Here are immoderate of the astir communal culprits:

1. URL parameters: Every clip your tract adds parameters to a URL (for tracking, sorting, aliases filtering), it creates aggregate URLs that person the aforesaid halfway content. For example, “domain.com/shoes” and “domain.com/shoes?size=9” will show very akin content. 
2. Domain sanction variations: Your contented mightiness beryllium accessible done aggregate versions of your domain, including HTTP vs. HTTPS versions of your site, pinch aliases without "www" successful beforehand of your domain name, and pinch aliases without a guardant slash astatine the extremity of URLs. So, a azygous page could beryllium astatine respective chopped locations.
3. Scraped aliases syndicated content: If different websites republish your contented (with aliases without permission), it creates copy versions connected different domains
4. Pagination: If you divided contented crossed aggregate pages (like successful an article bid aliases merchandise catalog), each page will person a abstracted URL but very akin content

How to Fix Duplicate Content Issues

Let's spot what you tin do to forestall and hole copy contented issues. 

Implement 301 Redirects

One reliable measurement to hole copy contented 1 your ain tract is by utilizing a 301 redirect to permanently move 1 URL to another.

This method is champion for duplicates you don't request to keep, specified arsenic when:

• Moving each HTTP postulation to HTTPS
• Standardizing your domain format by choosing www aliases non-www
• Consolidating copy pages into a azygous page

Most hosting providers and contented transportation networks (CDNs) connection easy ways to group up 301 redirects. 

If you're utilizing Apache servers, you tin instrumentality redirects successful your .htaccess file (a record for configuring definite website details). It’s conscionable a matter of penning a directive. 

For WordPress users, plugins for illustration Redirection and Yoast SEO tin grip redirects for you—just a fewer clicks and you’re done.

To adhd a redirect pinch Yoast SEO, conscionable instal the plugin, activate it, and past prime “Redirects” from the Yoast paper successful the near sidebar.

You tin past prime your redirect type and specify some the aged and caller URL.

Use Canonical Tags

A canonical tag is simply a snippet of HTML that specifies the main (canonical) URL for copy aliases highly akin contented to guarantee only the main type is indexed and that hunt engines will consolidate backlink powerfulness to that version.

Here’s what a canonical tag looks like:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://domains.com/shoes" />

The “href” property should constituent to the main type of the page you want hunt engines to prioritize. 

When should you usage canonical tags? Here are a fewer scenarios:

• You person copy contented because of parameterized versions of URLs
• Your contented is divided into aggregate pages (pagination)

For the first case, copy versions should person a canonical tag pointing to the main version. And the main type should person a self-referencing canonical tag (one pointing to itself).

For pages successful a paginated series, each page should person a self-referencing canonical tag. This intends each page points to itself, helping hunt engines understand that each page is simply a unsocial portion of a bid alternatively than duplicates of a azygous page. 

To instrumentality canonical tags, simply adhd the tag to the <head> conception of the page’s HTML. 

If you usage WordPress, SEO plugins for illustration Yoast SEO and RankMath will fto you group a canonical tag done their settings.

Here’s really to do it pinch Yoast:

Just unfastened the page you’d for illustration to group the canonical tag for, navigate to its SEO settings, click “Advanced” to grow the menu, and past participate the canonical URL successful the designated field.

Use Noindex Tags

A noindex tag is an HTML directive that tells hunt engines not to see a peculiar page successful their index—meaning it won’t look successful hunt results. 

This attack is particularly useful for handling syndicated content—when your contented is published connected different websites (with your permission).

In cases for illustration this, inquire publishers to adhd a noindex tag to the syndicated versions to guarantee only your original contented appears successful hunt results.

Here's what a noindex tag looks like:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex" />

You tin inquire publishing partners to adhd this tag to the <head> conception of the syndicated pages.

They tin besides usage celebrated SEO plugins for illustration Yoast SEO aliases RankMath to adhd the noindex directive without rubbing immoderate code. (Note that this only useful for WordPress sites.)

Differentiate Content

Sometimes, the champion solution for copy contented connected your ain tract is simply to make each page unique.

Here's really to differentiate akin content:

• Rewrite the contented pinch unsocial insights and perspectives
• Add applicable examples and actionable steps your readers tin follow
• Include original research, master quotes, aliases information to support your points
• Run your contented done SEO Writing Assistant to place immoderate matter you whitethorn person inadvertently copied, truthful you tin make it original

Request Removal from Other Sites

Sometimes, websites whitethorn transcript and republish your contented without support (known arsenic contented scraping). 

While Google's algorithms are mostly bully astatine identifying and prioritizing the original source, you whitethorn want to return action if unauthorized copies of your contented look successful hunt results.

First, interaction the website proprietor straight and petition removal of your content. Many website owners will comply to debar ineligible issues.

If nonstop interaction doesn't work, you tin taxable aDigital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown petition done Google's ineligible troubleshooter tool.

After submitting your complaint, it usually takes a fewer days for Google to process the petition and region the contented from hunt results.

Find Duplicate Content Issues On Your Site

Before you tin hole copy contented connected your site, you request to find wherever it exists.

Google Search Console (GSC) provides a free measurement to place copy contented issues done its indexation reports. 

If you want to do a much thorough analysis, you'll want to usage a dedicated auditing instrumentality for illustration Semrush’s Site Audit.

To get started, unfastened the tool, participate your domain sanction successful the hunt bar, and click “Start Audit.”

After configuring the basal audit settings, hold for the audit to complete.

Once it’s done, spell to the "Issues" tab and hunt for "duplicate.”

The instrumentality will emblem pages that are astatine slightest 85% identical, on pinch copy title tags and meta descriptions.

Click done to find the affected pages. And past usage the due hole for the situation.