Duplicate URL, Same Text: Understanding the issues and finding solutions

Duplicate URLSame Text

The world of referencing is demanding and requires constant attention to ensure that your natural website is well positioned in the search results.

Among the many things to look out for in SEOThe "Duplicate URL, Same Text" problem can have a negative impact on your site's performance on search engines.

In this article, we will define this concept and look at a few ways of preventing and correcting it.

What is the "Duplicate URL, Same Text" phenomenon?

Duplicate URLs with identical content occur when two or more pages have the same URL address and offer exactly the same content or text..

Although this situation can sometimes be the result of an unintentional error on the part of website owners, it can also be caused by unscrupulous practices aimed at manipulating the organic results of Google.

This problem creates a conflict for search engines such as Google, which then have to choose which page to prioritise in their rankings. It is therefore essential to put strategies in place to avoid unintentionally creating duplicate content and to manage existing duplicate content correctly.

Why are duplicate URLs with the same text a problem?

Lower rankings

Search engines such as Google use algorithms algorithms to crawl and index web pages, and rank sites according to their relevance and quality. When several pages present the same content with identical URLs, these algorithms cannot determine which version is the most relevant or deserves the best place in the search results.

As a result, both pages (or more) can be penalised and end up very low in the rankingsThis considerably reduces their visibility to Internet users and their potential organic traffic.

A poorer user experience

The presence of "Duplicate URL, Same Text" can also undermine theuser experience on your website. This can create confusion for visitors who are looking for specific information and end up with several pages with the same content.

In the long term, this situation could damage your site's reputation and cause you to lose the trust of your users, which could lead to a drop in traffic and a reduction in the number of visitors to your site. conversions.

How can duplicate URLs and content be prevented and dealt with?

Fortunately, there are several effective methods for preventing URL and text duplication, and for resolving existing duplications.

The use of canonical links

Setting up canonical tags is a simple technical solution for telling search engines which is the main version of a page when several versions exist. By adding this tag to the page's source code, you prevent the exploration robots to choose between different similar versions.

URL rewriting

In some cases, URL duplication can be caused by technical problems linked to the structure of your site or its accommodation. It is then possible to review the way in which URLs are generated and constructed to avoid the unintentional creation of duplicates.

- Use a single version of the URL : Choose between "www" and "without www", or make sure that HTTPS is used on all the pages of the site, can avoid having two different versions of your pages indexed by the search engines.
- Opt for a single format pagination : Some sites, in particular blogsWeb sites can offer visitors several pagination formats. Favouring a single format will avoid duplication of URLs.

Removing or redirecting duplicate pages

In certain situations, it may be preferable to simply delete the offending pages, especially if their content no longer adds any value or is obsolete.

If elimination is not desirable, it is also possible to introduce 301 redirects to redirect users to the original version of the content and signal to search engines that this is the preferred version.

In conclusion, the "Duplicate URL, Same Text" phenomenon is a complex subject that requires a detailed understanding of the SEO issues and the technical solutions to be implemented.

The ideal solution is therefore to adopt a proactive approach and work closely with your technical team to prevent and correct these problems before they affect the performance of your site.