The Cost of Duplicate Content: How it Affects Brand Credibility
Duplicate content poses significant challenges when it comes to both user experience and search engine optimization (SEO).
Even for those who think that their website is brimming with original content that has been created specific to their brand, there may be some frustrating truths to uncover…
What is Duplicate Content?
Duplicate content refers to text that appears on more than one page across the web. Whether it appears on two different pages of the same website or has been taken from another website, it can lead to issues with search engine rankings.
Even if a piece of content is not an exact duplicate of another, it can still be considered duplicate content if there is a noticeable similarity in format and wording.
How does Duplicate Content Affect Your Brand?
Search engines use sophisticated algorithms to determine where pages should rank, prioritizing those that are the most relevant and reputable. They look for high-quality content that answers common search queries and displays original copy.
Nowadays, a whopping 29% of websites are dealing with duplicate content. Much of this comes from generic content that requires minimal specialisms to produce and follows the same layout as other companies doing the exact same thing.
When faced with multiple versions of the same content, the algorithms will likely punish these pages, resulting in low rankings and a drop in traffic. If a search engine suspects a website is just copying content with the aim of improving its SEO rankings, it can pick up on this and adjust the indexing of the whole site.
5 Common Causes Behind Accidental Duplicate Content
Although most SEOs know that creating original content is a necessity in order to rank well, there are scenarios that we should all be aware of in which duplicate content is going to inevitably featured.
1. Indexing multiple URLs
When the same content is accessible through different versions of the same URL, it can be flagged as duplication.
Website parameters are a common cause of this, generating multiple links to the same page which in turn can cause confusion for search engines.
A common cause is the use of www and non-www; this will count as two separate pages if a proper redirect is not created.
2. Not using canonical tags for syndicated content
While syndicated content is good for expanding reach by publishing it on other websites, it leads to duplicated content if canonical tags are not added.
A canonical tag lets the search engine know which webpage is the original piece of content.
The syndicated content should also include a canonical tag to direct search engines to the original. Without these tags, search engines may struggle to identify the original source.
3. Regional web pages
For service-based businesses, a different web page may be created to target each location the company covers.
Localization is not a problem when targeting countries that speak different languages, but if a page is recreated for two countries using the same language, such as England and Canada, it is recommended to avoid using the exact same copy.
4. Product descriptions
On e-commerce websites, many products of a similar nature will naturally have similar descriptions.
Although this can be tricky to avoid, especially on larger websites, ensuring that both users and search engines can differentiate between each of the pages is key.
Another common downfall is copying content directly from the manufacturer’s website–a lead cause of duplication across the web.
5. Printable versions
Some websites offer printable versions of website pages to ensure they are well-formatted if users want a physical copy to work offline.
These pages are going to create duplicate content, but if clearly depicted in the sitemap and indexed correctly, this should not cause ranking issues.
How to Find Duplicate Content
In order to avoid duplicate content on your website, you first need to be able to identify it. There are several tools available that are designed to optimize websites for search engines, with features for detecting and resolving duplicate content issues.
Google Search Console is a free tool that offers insight into the visibility of your web pages’ performance in Google search results. It provides a ‘Coverage’ report which can be found under the ‘Index’ section. This will show any duplicate errors and any pages which may be competing against each other.
For a more detailed analysis of the pages that are being indexed by search engines, a web crawler can be used.
Screaming Frog is a software that will crawl your full website and provide a comprehensive list of every page that is indexed by search engines. This will highlight any duplicate URLs as well as content with a 90% similarity threshold (adjustable to preference).
To carry out a wider analysis of where your content may be duplicated across the web, Copyscape is a free website that allows you to enter your website URL and find out whether your content is original.
How to Fix Duplicate Content Issues
Once the duplicate content has been identified, it’s time to resolve the issue.
For pages with multiple URL variations, the easiest solution is to implement 301 redirects.
This way, whichever of the variations a user searches for, they will still arrive on the same page. Although the user experience does not change, this approach only shows search engines one version of the content, improving its legitimacy.
If multiple web pages have been found to trigger duplicate content, whether it be due to localization or similar product pages, it is best to refresh the content. By investing time into ensuring all copy differs, it can result in significant improvements in rankings.
To prevent similar issues from arising going forward, regular audits of your site will help spot any duplication issues early on. This will help maintain your SEO results and mean you can tackle any duplication as and when it happens instead of facing a backlog down the line.
Double Down on Content Performance: Focus on Fixing Duplicate Content
By understanding that even minor errors can lead to significant duplicate content issues and drops in SEO rankings, businesses can keep on top of their online presence.
Good website content is essential as it not only engages users but plays a crucial role in how search engines assess your site’s credibility.
Using tools that are able to quickly identify any duplicate content will help you locate the areas that need working on. Whether you need to implement some 301 redirects, start using canonical tags, or draft up some new product page copy, improving the quality of content across your site is bound to show through your search rankings.
With such complex algorithms out there nowadays, simply prioritizing content integrity can be the remedy that helps you elevate your website’s success.
FAQ
Is duplicate content bad for SEO?
When search engines encounter identical content across multiple pages, it becomes challenging to determine which version should be ranked higher.
If too many websites contain the same content, it shows search engines that the content could be of bad quality since it lacks originality. This can make your site appear less reputable, dropping authority and meaning the overall website ranks less.
By weakening the overall rankings, site traffic is reduced and competitors may begin to take the higher spots.
Will Google penalize you for duplicate content?
It is a common myth that Google will penalize websites for displaying duplicate content, but this is not actually the case. Unlike more serious black-hat SEO practices, duplicate content does not cause Google to take this level of action unless the intent is clearly to maneuver around the algorithms.
Although penalties will not be given, this doesn’t mean that there won’t still be a negative outcome. Duplicate content will likely impact search rankings, lowering your position in search results and minimizing traffic to your site.
How to avoid content penalties for duplicate SEO content?
By ensuring you continue to create unique and high-quality content that adds value for your audience, the results will naturally start to show.
To address any current content duplication issues that may have been revealed during a site crawl, implement canonical tags to let search engines know which piece is the original and create 301 redirects for any duplicate URLs.
How much duplicate content is acceptable on a website?
As a general rule of thumb, many SEOs recommend keeping duplicate content to less than 10%.
It is normal for original content to still contain some duplication, whether that be quotes taken from external sites, or e-commerce sites using overlapping product descriptions. Although this is to be expected, keeping SEO practices in mind when creating content will ensure duplication is minimized.
To keep an eye on content duplication levels across the site, regularly carrying out content audits will help avoid negative impacts on SEO before they take hold.
How does Google identify duplicate content?
Google uses sophisticated algorithms that are able to scan websites and decide whether they are worthy of high-ranking positions. It uses bots that crawl and index the pages, flagging similar content.
Key factors include URL structure, content format, and metadata. This also takes into account variations that may not be exact duplicates, but are close enough to not be classed as original content.
The main aim of these algorithms is to produce the most relevant responses to each and every search query made by a user. Google looks for original content that answers common questions and provides expert insights, thus providing the best service to its users.
