Having the same content in several locations on your site can be a silent SEO killer, pulling you down while also being hard to detect. It is a critical issue you need to deal with as soon as you discover it, as it can detract from other important issues. So, to start with, why is having duplicate content an issue for SEO and how can you address it?

We have pulled together several sources to help you learn why duplicate content can disrupt your outreach. So, keep reading to learn what you need to do to kickstart it again. Jump on in and ensure your site stays ahead of the curve.

Understanding Duplicate Content

When we say “duplicate content”, we do not only mean a quote here and there or an excerpt from a book to help you reinforce a point. Instead, this refers to a large block of text that appears in several locations.

This is not only your site, either. If a search engine detects the same text on both your site and several others across the Internet, you will not be able to rank as high on their results page.

While you may think that your site is safe, be aware that even innocuous sites such as e-commerce shops are not innocent of this. If you have identical product descriptions at several URLs, a search engine may flag you as having duplicate information across a site.

Some of the most common causes of this content that you should be aware of include:

• Tracking codes or session IDs creating multiple pages with the same results
• Including printer-friendly web pages in listings
• Republishing scraped content without attribution
• Use of both HTTP and HTTPS pages
• Use of both WWW and non-WWW pages
• Pagination issues in a blog

In each of these cases, search engines will start to struggle to work out which is the most relevant page to display in search results.

Why is Having Duplicate Content an Issue for SEO?

If you’re still asking, “How does duplicate content impact SEO?”, then remember that Google is trying to offer a concise list of Internet sites. To do this, it needs to know which are the most useful web pages for a variety of purposes. 

If Google detects that you are pushing out the same content on several sites, it will find it harder to choose which version to display. 

At best, it may dilute your visibility between several pages. With a page’s ranking ability split between several versions, each iteration will appear lower in the search engine results.

Also, any backlinks you receive will not always have a clear place to link to. This can then weaken every page’s authority as no single location receives the “link juice” it deserves.

At worst, it may see you as a site that does not have a good layout and de-rank you for this reason alone. They may decide to offer penalties and make it much harder for you to rank in the same way moving forward.

Duplicate Content and User Trust

Another issue with having repeated content is that it increases user frustration while on your site. People go to new pages to get a fresh perspective and new insights.

If they only find the same information again, it is likely to decrease the value they perceive in your site. This can then lead to trust issues, as it may appear like you are trying to game a system rather than act as a source of useful information.

Over time, this can give you a reputation for not having anything useful past a few core pages. People will then refuse to remain on your site for any significant length of time.

The Risks of Duplicate Content

Google decides how to rank pages based on a complex set of algorithms. These tend to filter out duplicate content, aiming to show only one version of a site in the search results.

If a site has significant duplicate content then a search engine such as Google is not only going to have difficulty listing you. In addition, it may penalize your site if it detects this practice. Some of the steps that Google might take if it discovers repeated content include:

• Lowering rankings
• Delisting pages
• Long-term punishments

Do not think that your size will help you avoid this, either. Even large sites such as CNN or LA Times have faced this danger, but are often able to claw back after adjusting how they present information online.

While these larger businesses can pivot their resources to resolve this, if you are a small site, it may have a severe impact on your visibility. So, it is much better to avoid the issue by either identifying and adjusting said pages either before or after you post them.

Identifying Duplicate Content on Your Website

Several tools online can help you identify duplicate content across your site. A few examples of these include:

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler
• Grammarly Plagiarism Checker
• Siteliner
• Copyscape
• Moz Pro

Find the one that works best for you, running regular scans to see if you can find copied content across your site. If you do, try to analyze the results to see which are the most visible and egregious examples, resolving them first.

Another way to do this would be to manually conduct Google searches using snippets of your own content in quotes. This will search for that exact phrase and help you find places that may have stolen your site’s text.

When you find this occurring, try to contact the webmaster of the site if possible and explain the situation. If that does not help, you may need to file a DMCA takedown or even contact an IP lawyer who can help you resolve the issue.

Fix Duplicate Content Issues

If the issue is on your site, you will want to ensure that only the most beneficial site page is that which Google shows to others. There are a few ways to do this:

Canonical tags. These are meta tags that help search engines understand which of your pages is the preferred version. Using these in places like blog pagination pages can push users to the core page of the blog, boosting UX at the same time.

301 redirects. When someone goes to a site that may have duplicate content, you can push the user to the main page for that information. While this may be an extreme way of doing it, it is beneficial if you have old pages you no longer want people to use any more, but which others still link to.

Meta tags. You can say to Google that they should not index specific pages by “noindexing” them. Using this solution means that these extra pages will not appear in search engines, and as such work well in tandem with canonical tags.

Changing Your Process to Avoid Duplicate Content

While handling duplicate content after it appears is very important, it may be much easier to get rid of it before someone has a chance to upload it. While you cannot control the content of other sites in such a way, the following are a few tactics you might want to use when you create your own content.

When developing content, you should first make sure that you do thorough research. If you discuss the same areas several times throughout your site, you may run into the danger of saying the same thing on several pages. 

To solve this, make sure that you gather comprehensive information from disparate sources for every article or page. This way, you can create content that offers new insights or perspectives every time and not reiterate the same points. When you are about to post, also use a duplicate content tool to double-check each piece for copying.

Another thing you will want to start doing is to use a unique voice. You could even include your own perspectives based on personal experiences. Anecdotes and personal stories, for example, if they match your brand, can bring a new edge to any content.

This kind of content not only increases the chance of user engagement with your content but also helps to build up brand authority. Both users and search engines will start to consider you to be an experienced leader in your industry, pushing your SEO rankings higher.

Get Assistance with Creating Your Content

Answering “Why is having duplicate content an issue for SEO?“ is crucial to keep you in the game as a powerhouse of authority in your niche. It can help you improve your rankings, boost your traffic, and ensure that people want to keep returning to your site. This is where a company like Rose & Cactus can help you.

They have vast experience in dealing with website issues including the possibility of content issues such as these. To learn more about what they can offer, book a consultation with Rose & Cactus today to find out more about our content development plans.

Laura Pulling Laura is a content strategist, SEO consultant, and lover of quiz nights. She works with global clients to turn great ideas into well-ranked, high-converting content.