Content: What is considered duplicate content?

Content: What is considered duplicate content?

Duplicate content refers to content that appears on multiple pages across the internet. It can also refer to content that is copied from one source and published on another site without proper attribution or permission.

There are several different types of duplicate content, including:

• Internal duplicate content – This refers to content that appears on multiple pages within a single website. It can occur accidentally, such as through the use of boilerplate text, or deliberately, such as when a site uses multiple URLs to display the same content.

• External duplicate content – This refers to content that appears on multiple websites. It can occur when multiple sites use the same article or blog post, or when a site scrapes content from another source.

• Duplicate content caused by URL parameters – This occurs when a single page has multiple URLs due to different URL parameters, such as session IDs or tracking codes.

• Syndicated content – This refers to content that is published on multiple sites through a syndication network. While this type of content may be authorized by the original publisher, it can still be flagged as duplicate content by search engines.

Does duplicate content matter?

The main problem with duplicate content is that search engines can’t determine which version is the original and which ones are copies. This results in the search engine picking one version to rank and completely disregarding the rest, causing your other pages to become practically invisible in the SERPs. Moreover, search engines may also perceive your content as spam, causing a penalty on your website altogether. 

As mentioned above, there are several reasons why duplicate content can arise on your website, such as similar product descriptions or multiple versions of the same article on different domains. However, there are simple ways to avoid duplicate content, such as canonical tags and redirecting duplicate pages to the original one. By following best practices and regularly reviewing your website, you can easily avoid this issue and stay on top of the SERPs.

Related: Canonical Tags: What is a Canonical Tag?
Related: Redirects: 301, 302 and meta refresh