When similar content pops up in more than a single URL on the internet, it is referred to as duplicate content. Since multiple URLs display similar content, the search engines get confused as to which URL to rank higher in the search engine results. No wonder, why both the URLs might be ranked lower while other webpages receive more preference. A simple word swapping wouldn’t save your page from being coined as a duplicated content.
Let’s delve deeper into the causes of duplicate content SEO, its impact, and the best prevention tips.
Understanding The Negatives Impacts Associated with Duplicate Content
The duplicate content on a site might land in multiple complications, including severe penalties. Some of the basic duplicate content-related problems are:
- The display of incorrect page versions in the search results.
- Poorly-performing key pages in the SEO or facing indexing issues.
- Fluctuations in the core site metrics
Since we are unaware of how and which content elements Google search console will prioritize or deprioritize, the SEO giant always focuses on the importance of creating pages for users rather than search engines to the web owners and the writers. The ultimate goal for SEO must be to make original value-added content. However, this is often accompanied by several factors like:
- UTM tags
- Search Functionality
- Information sharing, all of which brings with it the duplication risk.
To make sure your web page doesn’t include a duplicate page, you must ensure routine upkeep and technical understanding to rule the possibilities of copied content.
Several prevention tips can contribute to the making of duplicate content.
What Causes Duplicate Content in SEO?
An incorrect setup of a website might result in plagiarized content. These are technical glitches and wouldn’t cost you a Google penalty, however, they can prove risky for your rankings. But apart from the technical issues, there exist human-centric causes for duplicate content as well, like the piece of content is copied purposely and is published somewhere else.
301s As Your Savior
After site remodeling, put 301 redirects to good use inside your .htaccess file to redirect spiders, Googlebot, and users.
Syndicate Accurately
Upon syndicating your original content on different sites, Google displays the version we take to be user-appropriate, which might not your desired version. However, it pays to make sure that the site on which you have syndicated your content comprises a redirect link to your main article.
Reduce Repetition of Boilerplate
Consider introducing a summary at the end of every page and linking it to a page that is more elaborative, rather than incorporating a complex copyright text. Take the help of the Parameter handling tool to mention how you wish the URL parameters to be treated from Google.
See How Content Management System Works?
Ensure to familiarize yourself with the way your blog posts are showcased on the web page. The forums and blogs display similar content in various formals, quite often. For instance, a blog entry might pop up on the blog’s home page, it might appear on the archive page and pages having the same level, of different entries.
Fixing the issues related to duplicate content through plagiarism checker tools and these tips will better your rankings in SEO because by doing so you are assisting the search engines and helping them to understand which page should go up in the search result.