This SEO guide first appeared on the Screaming Frog website on 5th May 2021.
Mark Twain once remarked that ‘There is no such thing as an original idea’. Now, whether or not you agree with the famously grumpy American author, original content is something that a lot of SEOs and website owners stress about.
That’s because its counterpart, duplicate content, can be a possible cause of SEO issues. In this guide we’ll examine everything from what duplicate content is and where it comes from, to how to spot and fix it.
What is Duplicate Content?
According to Google, duplicate content is:
“Substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar. Mostly, this is not deceptive in origin.”
Google Search Central: Avoid Duplicate Content
This is a suitably wordy way of saying that duplicate content is the same content appearing on multiple URLs. This can be on the same website, or across different websites.
The last sentence of the above quote from Google is perhaps the most important. The majority of duplicate content on the web is accidental rather than the result of trying to game the system.
Nevertheless, carelessness is not an excuse. Duplicate content can be avoided and fixed. Just read on to find out how.