{"id":6569,"date":"2023-12-05T19:59:10","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T19:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/?p=6569"},"modified":"2023-12-06T06:22:34","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T06:22:34","slug":"duplicate-content-unraveling-its-seo-impact-and-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/duplicate-content-unraveling-its-seo-impact-and-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Duplicate Content: Unraveling Its SEO Impact and Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

It goes without saying that failing to SEO-optimize your web pages means that <\/span>your content is guaranteed to suck<\/span><\/a>. After all, a lack of optimization is often reflected in search engine rankings and web traffic, meaning that your website will fail to gain any traction whatsoever. In fact, \u201c<\/span>90.63% of pages get no organic search traffic from Google<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversely, properly optimized websites are able to climb the rankings, resulting in improved web traffic and business visibility. Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can better your website’s SEO performance, such as by tackling the issue of duplicate content.<\/span><\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s estimated that \u201cbetween 25%-30% of the content on the web is duplicative,\u201d whether this is caused by content scalping or poor website architecture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll provide you with useful strategies that can be used to prevent content duplication across your website so that your site can continue to perform well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understanding Duplicate Content<\/b><\/h2>\n

What is duplicate content?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

As the name indicates, duplicate content refers to any web content that is duplicated across different web pages. This does not always refer solely to identical content but also to content that is very similar. For example, if the content is slightly rephrased or reorganized, this classifies as near-duplicate content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically, duplicate content can be split into two categories: internal and external. Internal duplicate content occurs when a website owner duplicates content through the use of multiple internal URLs within the same website. External duplicate content occurs in instances where content is copied or scalped onto external pages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both instances can lead to a range of duplicate content issues and affect the overall ranking of your page. In some cases, penalties may also apply.<\/span><\/p>\n

SEO Impact of Duplicate Content<\/b><\/h2>\n

Is duplicate content bad for SEO?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Right now, you may be wondering why is having duplicate content an issue for SEO? After all, theoretically, if the content you are creating is high-quality and already optimized through the use of keywords and keyword phrases, it’s easy to believe that multiple variations of this page will work in your favor. However, duplicate content can actually mean that the search engines are unsure which of the pages should rank above the others, meaning that it could be harming your <\/span>overall SEO performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given that<\/span> a first-position page ranking gets nearly 28% of all the clicks<\/span><\/a> (and thereby, traffic), it’s clear that the issue of SEO duplicate content should be tackled sooner rather than later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Common Causes of Duplicate Content<\/b><\/h2>\n

As touched upon above, there are many different causes of duplicate content, many of which are accidental and caused by a lack of understanding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Internal Duplicated Content\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

One of the most common causes of internal duplicate content occurs when multiple different URL variations are utilized by web developers. For example, if you have WWW and non-WWW versions of a page or HTTP and HTTPS versions.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there may be valid reasons behind having URL variations, search engines will likely view them as entirely separate pages, which means they\u2019re automatically considered to be duplicated content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, you create duplicate content on your website when selling products\/services in different locations. For example, say you run a home cleaning business in several major cities. As clients within each location will likely add the location to their searches or use phrases such as \u201chome cleaning near me,\u201d it makes sense to set up a different page for each location. This way, you can benefit from the inclusion of town\/city names and geographic tags. However, as your services are the same regardless of where the client lives, you may want to use the same content on each page. While this is logical in theory, in practice, it will make you guilty of creating duplicate content. As such, it is better to write original descriptions for each location, including unique meta descriptions, H1 and H2 tags, and subheadings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Externally duplicated content\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are also many different forms of externally duplicated content, with the most obvious being scraped content. This occurs when a third party directly copies your content, such as articles or blog posts, without proper credit being awarded. Without being able to prove that your site was the originator of this content, this content duplicate can once again harm your rankings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you notice that a third party is scalping your web content, it\u2019s important that this content is removed promptly. You can kick-start the removal process by contacting the site owner directly and threatening further action if it is not removed promptly. If they do not remove the content, you can report the site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Duplicate content can also occur through content syndication. This occurs when identical content is intentionally republished onto different sites. However, proper canonicalization, \u201c<\/span>the process of selecting the representative \u2013canonical\u2013 URL of a piece of content<\/span><\/a>,\u201d ensures that your web page is considered the original source. This makes your website appear more authoritative and trustworthy, which can also help to boost your rankings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying Duplicate Content on Your Website<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are many different ways in which you can identify duplicate content on your website. For example, manually checking your website and keeping an eye out for URL variations can prove to be useful. While time-consuming, it is well worth the effort to ensure your website ranks highly. Otherwise, you may struggle to gain the traction that you deserve, which ultimately hurts your bottom line. Remember, <\/span>the top three sites receive 75% of all web traffic<\/span><\/a>, meaning falling anywhere below this could put your business (and finances) at risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you aren\u2019t sure where to begin when creating non-duplicated yet SEO-friendly content, you could also benefit from completing an <\/span>SEO Audit<\/span><\/a>, which automatically evaluates your website\u2019s SEO performance. Not only can this bring to light issues with duplicate content, but it can also help you rectify other SEO-related mistakes and errors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exact match searching can also illuminate duplicate content issues, especially in the case of content scalping. To conduct an exact match search, simply copy and paste a phrase or paragraph of your web content into the search bar. If multiple results come up as exact matches, there\u2019s sufficient evidence that some kind of content duplication has occurred, accidental or otherwise. By having this information to hand, you are able to take actionable steps against it moving forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

Addressing Duplicate Content Issues<\/b><\/h2>\n

As mentioned above, it’s important any duplicate content issues are resolved quickly and efficiently in order to ensure your website performs well. Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can remedy this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, you should begin by ensuring that you always<\/span> write excellent and unique content for your website.<\/span><\/a> This reduces the chances of you unintentionally creating near-duplicate content that exists on several other websites already and can help you climb the rankings. It also makes it easier for you to appeal directly to your target audience, as your content is markedly less generic and more geared towards their interests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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You should also work to consolidate duplicate URLs into a single landing page, such as through 301 redirects. When used correctly, a 301 redirect will send all users to the same web page, regardless of which URL they search for. For example, users searching for the www. version of a page, and those searching for https will end up on the same landing page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can add a 301 redirect to your page by:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n