Technical SEO

Duplicate content

Duplicate content is the same or near-identical content available at more than one URL. It is a consolidation problem, not usually a penalty.

Search engines pick one version and ignore the others, which means duplication costs you by splitting links and impressions rather than by triggering a sanction. The usual sources are mundane: http and https both resolving, www and non-www, trailing slashes, tracking parameters, print views, and syndicated product descriptions shared with every competitor.

The fix order is redirects first, canonicals second, noindex last. A 301 removes the duplicate entirely; a canonical asks nicely; noindex keeps the page crawlable but out of results. For manufacturer descriptions reused across a market, the only real answer is original content: your own photography, your own specifications, real reviews.

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