DAY 19-Eliminate duplicate content

Online shops in particular often face the risk of
generating duplicate content. For example, a
product might be listed in several categories.
If the URL is structured hierarchically, a product
can be accessible under multiple URLs. One
reliable way to solve this problem is by using
a canonical tag. This shows Google which URL
is the “original” one and which one is a copy.
The Google bot then ignores the copies when
crawling your website and only indexes the
original URLs

Tips for eliminating duplicate content:

• Go to each page on your website and add a canonical tag.
• In case of duplicate content, the canonical tag should
  point to the original webpage.
• Also, add a canonical tag on the original webpage
  that points to itself.
• When adding canonical tags, make sure you write
  the URLs correctly.
• Do not use relative URLs for canonical tags.

Why Eliminating Duplicate Content Matters

Search engines want to deliver unique, relevant, and high-quality content to users. When duplicate content exists, search engines may struggle to decide:

• Which version to index
• Which version to rank
• Whether to penalize or ignore the site

This leads to:

• Reduced rankings
• Wasted crawl budget
• Poor user experience
• Diluted backlinks and authority

Cleaning up duplicate content improves search visibility, engagement, and overall site health.

Step-by-Step Guide to Eliminating Duplicate Content

Step 1: Perform a Full Content Audit

Before you can eliminate duplication, you need a complete overview of your content and its variations.

Tools to Use:

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Crawl your site and identify duplicate titles, meta descriptions, and body content.
• Siteliner: Highlights internal duplicate content by percentage.
• Google Search Console (Coverage & Index Reports): Shows duplicate or canonicalization problems.
• Ahrefs / SEMrush / Moz: SEO site audits will flag duplicate content.

What to Look For:

• Duplicate pages with slightly different URLs
• Reused product descriptions
• Pages with near-identical content
• Paginated archives with duplicate excerpts
• Repeated metadata (titles, meta descriptions, etc.)

Step 2: Set Canonical URLs

If you must keep similar or duplicate content (e.g., paginated categories, printer-friendly pages), use canonical tags to inform search engines which page is the “main” one.

Example:

html

CopyEdit

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/main-article-page" />

Benefits:

• Consolidates ranking signals
• Avoids keyword cannibalization
• Prevents indexing of less important duplicates

Step 3: Use 301 Redirects

If you find multiple versions of the same content (e.g., /page, /page/, /page?ref=abc), implement 301 redirects to funnel all versions to the primary URL.

Best Practices:

• Redirect old content to the most relevant and high-performing page
• Consolidate tag or category pages where possible
• Use regex rules to manage dynamic URLs (carefully)

Step 4: Remove or Merge Similar Pages

If you’ve published multiple blog posts or landing pages on very similar topics (e.g., “Best SEO Tools for 2023” and “Top SEO Tools for Beginners”), consider:

• Merging the content into a single comprehensive article
• Updating the older post with redirects
• Deleting thin or outdated duplicates

How to Decide What to Keep:

• Which page has more backlinks?
• Which one ranks better?
• Which version has more traffic or engagement?

Preserve the strongest version and eliminate the weaker one.

Step 5: Add Noindex Meta Tags to Low-Value Pages

If you have pages that must exist but should not be indexed (e.g., internal search results, filtered product views), use the noindex directive.

html

CopyEdit

<meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow">

Apply this to:

• Admin or login pages
• Print versions of articles
• Filtered product listings (color, size, etc.)
• Archive or tag pages if they don’t add value

Step 6: Fix URL Parameters

URL parameters (e.g., ?sort=price, ?sessionid=1234) can create infinite duplicate URLs if left unchecked.

Solutions:

• Use Google Search Console’s Parameter Tool: Set rules for how Google should crawl and index parameter-based URLs.
• Set canonical tags for parameter URLs pointing to the main page.
• Block parameter-based URLs in robots.txt (with caution).

txt

CopyEdit

Disallow: /*?sort=

Disallow: /*?sessionid=

Step 7: Rewrite Duplicate Content

Some duplication is caused by reusing similar templates, product descriptions, or external sources. Instead of removing this content, consider rewriting it:

Examples:

• Replace manufacturer product descriptions with unique ones
• Customize syndicated content with your own insights
• Diversify boilerplate sections like FAQs or About pages

Use Natural Language and Semantic Keywords:

Tools like SurferSEO or Frase can help you rewrite with semantic variation and improve topical relevance.

Step 8: Handle Syndicated and Scraped Content Properly

If you syndicate your content to other websites (e.g., news aggregators), always include:

• A canonical link pointing to your version
• Attribution and source link
• A delay in syndication to allow your original to get indexed first

For content scraped without permission:

• Use DMCA takedown notices
• Use Google Search Console > Report Scraper Pages
• Monitor copies using tools like Copyscape or Plagium

Step 9: Standardize Internal Linking

Even if your content is unique, inconsistent linking can cause duplication problems. Make sure your internal links always point to the preferred version of each page.

Example:

Always link to https://example.com/services
Not:

• http://example.com/services
• https://www.example.com/services/
• https://example.com/services/index.html

Step 10: Use Structured Data to Differentiate Pages

Structured data (schema markup) doesn’t eliminate duplicates, but it clarifies page purpose to search engines. Apply it for:

• Products
• Articles
• Events
• Reviews

Unique schema per page can improve indexing accuracy and help with visibility in rich results.

How to Prevent Future Duplicate Content

1. Set a preferred domain (canonical) in Google Search Console
2. Use HTTPS across your site and redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS
3. Plan content before publishing—ensure each piece has a unique angle
4. Audit regularly using SEO tools and automated site crawlers
5. Implement editorial workflows to detect reuse before content goes live

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