Duplicate content is content that has multiple web pages with the same information inside and outside
the domain
, each with a different URL.
Duplicate content inside and outside your site can reduce
your SEO
effectiveness. Therefore, site administrators are required to operate their websites while preventing the occurrence of duplicate content as much as possible.
In this article, we will provide an overview of duplicate content, how to check it, and how to deal with it.
What is duplicate content?
Duplicate content refers to a situation where there are multiple web pages with the same information inside and outside the site, each with a different URL.
For example, when the same product description is used on multiple pages, or when the same content is published on multiple pages. In these cases,
search engines
cannot determine which pages to prioritize and display, and as a result, the search rankings of duplicate articles may drop.
Google recommends that websites avoid generating duplicate content. According to Google’s standards, pages that contain the exact same content, or similar pages that are largely the same but have only a few differences, are considered duplicate content.
Google has
an algorithm
that determines which page to prioritize in search results when multiple pages contain the same content. It is designed to display the best pages at the top of search results, taking into account factors such as page update frequency, quality, and domain reliability.
If the same content exists on multiple pages, it may lower search engine rankings, so it is best to avoid duplication as much as possible.
Impact of duplicate content on SEO measures
Regardless of whether it is malicious or not, if duplicate content is created and left unattended, what kind of impact will it have on SEO? I will explain it in detail.
Backlink evaluation is scattered
If duplicate content exists, the evaluation of backlinks will be dispersed, which will reduce the effectiveness of SEO measures for each page.
This may occur due to problems with the operation or development of the website, and in such cases it will be necessary to resolve it as soon as possible.
If there are multiple similar pages, it will be difficult to appear at the top of search results.
If there is duplicate content, search engines may not be able to determine which pages should be displayed with priority, and as a result, the search rankings of all articles may be lowered.
As a solution, we recommend merging duplicate or similar pages into a single page. This will make it easier for search engines to decide which ones to prioritize and improve your search rankings.
Search engines determine rankings by considering a variety of factors, including the page URL, title, metadata such as a description of the page, the body of the content, images, and videos. If you have pages with duplicate or similar content, you may want to change these elements to make it clear which pages are prioritized by search engines.
Specifically, this includes normalizing URLs, changing titles and metadata, and replacing content. The detailed method will be explained later.
Impairs user experience (UX)
When duplicate content exists, some users may end up viewing the same information multiple times. This condition not only impairs user convenience, but also has the potential to reduce the reliability of the site.
For example, if the same text is posted on multiple pages, users may feel uncomfortable and think, “I’ve seen something similar before,” which can reduce trust in the site.
If there is a lot of duplicate content, it may be difficult for users to find the information they are looking for, and if search engines think that your site is not user-friendly (poor UX), it will have a negative impact on your search rankings. may also be given.
Therefore, it is very important to avoid posting the same content on multiple pages. For example, if you want to post the same product information, combine them into one page and create pages that introduce the product from different perspectives and angles. This will avoid being seen as duplicate content, improve user experience, and improve search engine rankings.
How to check for duplicate content
It is undesirable to have duplicate content on your website. From here, we will explain how to check for duplicate content.
Check with Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool that provides the features you need for search engine optimization of your website. You can see what search keywords caused your site to appear on search engines, and what keywords actually caused people to click on links to your site.
Google Search Console also has a feature that checks for duplicate content, allowing you to check for duplicates on the entire site or on individual pages.
Specifically, click “Security and manual countermeasures” → “Manual countermeasures” from the menu on the left side of the Google Search Console screen. If the message “No problems detected” appears, there is no need to take any action.
If an issue is detected, duplicate URLs within your site will be displayed. If duplicate data is displayed, investigate the cause and correct, merge, or delete the metadata and content.
Use copy-paste check tool
Content on a website may be copied or scraped from other sites, resulting in duplicate content. In such cases, you can try searching using a copy/paste check tool.
Copy and Paste Check Tool is a tool that compares texts on the web and detects duplicate parts. By using tools, you can check whether your site has duplicate content or copies from other sites.
Use similar page determination tool
Google’s algorithm is complex, so you need to understand it before optimizing your web pages.
Similar page determination tool is a tool to determine duplicates based on an algorithm. By using these tools, you can learn how Google evaluates you.
Add the “&filter=0” parameter after the URL of the search results page
Google’s search results page has a filtering feature that prevents similar content from the same site from being displayed multiple times.
Therefore, by adding
the parameter
“&filter=0” after the search results page, the filter function will be canceled and duplicate pages will be displayed in the search results.
By using this parameter, you can also check for duplicate content on the search screen.
7 ways to deal with duplicate content
Duplicate content can have a negative impact on search rankings, so you need to take measures to avoid generating duplicate content as much as possible. Here, we will explain seven countermeasures.
Consolidate duplicate content, use 301 redirects after removal
A 301 redirect is a way to redirect an old page to a new page. 301 redirects are good for SEO because they allow you to convey the backlink reputation of your old page to your new page.
However, 301 redirects should be used carefully as they affect the overall structure of your site.
Setting up canonical
Canonical is a method of specifying the preferred URL in the <head> element in the HTML of the web page when multiple URLs have the same content. Using canonical allows Google to recognize which URLs are preferred.
Specifying a preferred URL using canonical is called “URL canonicalization.”
Setting noindex
noindex is a way to instruct Google not to
index
(register in Google’s database, crawl) a page. By using this, you can prevent Google from recognizing the same content as multiple pages. However, be careful as noindex does not completely remove a page from search results.
Use a top-level domain
Minimize repetition of boilerplate sentences
Repetition of boilerplate text is also one of the reasons search engines consider it to be duplicate content. When using fixed phrases, try to keep repetition to a minimum by excerpting the beginning or other parts and linking to detailed pages.
Minimize similar content as much as possible
Generating a large amount of the same content has a negative effect on SEO.
Many web pages with duplicate content are automatically generated. Be careful when creating pages automatically, as this can seriously damage the quality of your site.
If you have a lot of similarly themed content, we recommend merging. Using this method will reduce the number of pages and improve the quality of your site.
Request Google to remove content
Site administrators can submit a request to remove duplicate content from Google’s database.
If you wish to permanently remove a particular page or part of a page from Google’s index, please submit a request to Google for removal. If you’ve tried the previous methods and they still don’t work, try these steps.
To request deletion, use the “Removal Tool” in Google Search Console. The deletion tool has options such as “Delete URL,” “Delete from sitemap,” and “Delete unnecessary pages.” These options allow you to submit a takedown request to Google.
summary
Duplicate content can have a negative impact on SEO, so it’s important to understand the issue.
Measures to improve the quality of your site include 301 redirects, canonical normalization, noindex settings, operation on top-level domains, merging and deleting duplicate and similar content, and requesting Google to remove it. There is.
You can use a combination of these techniques to solve your problem. Also, remember that site quality and user experience (UX) are important when it comes to SEO.