Duplicate content refers to similar content appearing at multiple locations or URLs on the web. As a result, when a piece of information is searched for, search engines don’t know which URL to show in the search results. Duplicate content could appear on 2 or more URLs. Duplicate content is an issue as they conflict with search engines such as Google.
Similar to most issues, Duplicate contents have solutions. Ranging from the use of an SEO agency to utilizing unique page titles and meta descriptions in the HTML code of the page or sites. Specifically, we’ll discuss solving this issue on WordPress sites later on.
Duplicate Content SEO
It might be of importance to note that there are two types of duplicate content.
Internal duplicate content
Internal duplicate content is found on the same site. This is a result of multiple URLs leading to similar content on the same site.
External duplicate content
Unlike the first, this occurs across different domains. It is therefore also referred to as cross-domain duplicates. Multiple domains have the same page copy indexed by the search engines.
Why Duplicate Content Is Bad For SEO
Lowered ratings
Duplicate contents are strains on Search Engine Optimization and in turn your site’s ratings. This is a result of search engines being forced to choose one of the similar pages it should rate in the top search results. Following a decision on what site to pick and rank in the search result, other sites get rated lower.
Plagiarism unchecked
Irrespective of the originality of the content or who produced the content, there is a high possibility that the original page will not be the one chosen for the top search results. As result, plagiarism of original content might not mean a thing. The search engine just chooses the sites with identical contents that it analyzed to be better.
Filters
Another issue is the filter from search engines. Take Google for instance. While there are no penalties imposed on duplicate content, Google tends to filter synonymous content on the websites. Consequently, this would cause a loss of content coupled with a lesser ranking of the web page in search results. Despite the intensity of this issue, solutions have been preferred.
One of the said solutions is the SEO agency. An SEO company offers services in form of search engine optimization to businesses to improve their online visibility. Search engine optimization simply means making your website more mesmerizing to the search engines. Consequently, the said website will get a higher ranking in top search results increasing visibility to online surfers and market targets.
Does Duplicate Content Hurt SEO?
Duplicate content is a major issue hurting SEO on WordPress. It’s a common reason as to why WordPress websites don’t get ranked. Duplicate contents can mostly be avoided by not directly copying the content. SEO is a major feature boosting the originality and visibility of WordPress sites. Duplicate content lowers the performance of sites with similar specific content descriptions.
Common Duplicate Content Issues On WordPress and How To Solve Them
Tags
Tags are features used on WordPress sites to help with the organization of the contents. Unlike categories, another feature, they are non-hierarchical. The issue with tag is when a user tag one of their articles, a page is established containing other relevant content. This page contains bits of articles or complete article contents which could be from the user’s main site. The establishment of this page on the user’s WordPress site has itself become a competition. Consequently, causes a content duplication issue.
Solving this issue requires one of two methods. The first is simple. You can remove the tags completely. The second is to add a meta robots no index no-follow. The no index dofollow tag will serve as an indication to the search engine that the tag is a lesser result in comparison to your main site. Your main site is, therefore, rated higher enhancing your SEO.
Categories
Categories just like tags are features used in WordPress. They contain contents organized more hierarchically. In some cases, some WordPress sites tend to sometimes make categories dedicated to channels and niches within a channel. This makes them worthy of being readily available for search engine results.
The issue would arise if neither the category nor the core website pages are designed to be rated more than the other. The search engine could then rate both lower and non-available on search results. To solve this, you add a meta robot index and dofollow tags. Likewise, peculiar or unique titles and copies should be incorporated into the category to introduce it. Ultimately, queries asked, better replied to by the contents of the categories will be referred to the categories as they are made available in search results.
Competitive topics
Another common duplicate content issue is competing topics. Some WordPress sites with the same niche, food, nutrition, technology, and business, when creating content about similar topics bring about competition. Popular examples include specific recipes for a snack or the latest flagship phone or gadgets. Some contents can’t help but be similar creating competition and duplicate content. To solve this issue, adding a category or subcategory for the gadgets, snacks, etc. is advised. Modifiers also help fix the issue (e.g., for recipes, spicy, chewy etc.). Following this, use “copy” making sure to stay relevant to the topic and indicating why your category or subcategory is unique
SEO Agencies
In recognition of another way to boost ranking and SEO, SEO agencies have proven useful and effective. SEO agencies in a nutshell help sites or organizations and businesses to rank higher on Google. That way when online customers/ consumers or internet surfers search for content about your niche, your site or blog is one of the highest-ranked results available.
Relative to duplicate content issues on WordPress, an SEO agency helps your site to get an edge over other competitors in your niche. When it comes to SEO, knowledge is power and that is what SEO agencies offer.
What To Look Out For In Any Efficient SEO Agency
That being said there are some things to look out for when researching SEO agencies of choice.
- Practice What They Preach
If you’re trying to grow your WordPress site organically by hiring an agency to do so for you, it’s only logical that said agency made its growth organically also.
- Experience
Experience is needed. So be sure to check for agencies that have been at the job long enough to know the nooks and crannies of the job. High-volume keywords will be needed, so it’s best to be in business with big players in the game.
- Ratings
All the rave about ratings should give you an insight into searching for top rated SEO agencies. Reputation is everything in the SEO world, it will be efficient to work with agencies that have continued good long-term relationships and have received excellent reviews from other businesses and possibly even a 5-star rating from Google.
Conclusion
Solving duplicate content issues on sites such as WordPress and websites as a whole is important to enjoy the full benefits of SEO. Without SEO, there would be no point to your content as they are going to rarely grace the screens of internet consumers. While duplicate content is a nasty yet common issue, these solutions highlighted above should help keep it in check.
