Google is the largest search engine and processes at least 95% of the world’s web searches using its algorithms. Its commitment is to give searchers the best possible search engine results. With the value focus, uniqueness and variety in the search engine results is a desirable characteristic to Google and its customers, the searchers. Any content that is the same doesn’t add any value to the search query. In short, duplicate content doesn’t add any value to the search engine results.
How duplicate content exists
There are two different kinds of duplicate content on the internet. One form of duplicate content exists on a particular domain. Same pages or URL’s on the website have the same content. The other kind of duplicate content is because different domains have the same content, normally by accident or through malicious or spam techniques. Duplicate content on the same site is known as on page duplicate content and comes in different forms.
Multiple URLS
When a website has multiple URL’s with the same content, such as those with the /index, index.php, /home and the like, to the search engines, these pages are different and cut the authority. Ideally, a page needs to be placed as one through appropriate redirection.
Mobile and Printer versions
When you have site that has different versions like the printer versions and mobile ones that should be indexed, Google sees them as duplicate sites.
Session ID’s
Session ID’s which come with many e-commerce websites are the biggest cause for duplicate content when they aren’t set up properly. These are common on sites which cookies to track visitor activity. These end up piling to the sites duplicate content.
URL parameters for analytics
Wrongly setting analytics parameters will make you create duplicate content on a website. In most cases, it happens when you let search engines see domain extensions as separate pages.
Dealing with duplicate content
Duplicate content is generally bad for your website presence. By serving Google with the same content, Google will devalue that compared to other sites with better content. Moreover, having many domains with your content cuts your authority. Dealing with plagiarism is the best way to earn the benefits of adding valuable content online. Free plagiarism detection is provided by Copyrightspot, it is the best software you can use to detect duplicate content on your site before fixing it.
301 redirects
If you have several URL’s with the same content, this is the best technique to use to ensure that a single one is used. This can be used to protect the website from multiple urls, parameter issues in analytics and so forth.
Rel=”Canonical”
This tag should be used to tell the search engines what authoritative domain is in a case where many have the same content.
Robots txt
This is a crucial tag for site duplicate content. It tells the search engines not to index certain content. For example, you can tell search engines not to index session ID’s, and printer versions of the website. This will automatically cut the number of duplicates on your domain.