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Duplicate content

Duplicate content is the same or nearly the same page content that can be reached at more than one address, on one site or across its country versions.

How it works

Many duplicates come from the store’s own site functions:

  • sorting and faceted navigation on category pages;
  • a product in two categories, with the category in its address;
  • the GCLID parameter of an ad click.

Country versions in the same language add more.

Google groups pages with the same main content and picks one as the canonical URL. It crawls that version most often and usually shows it in results. A redirect or rel="canonical" link states the store’s choice, which Google treats as a hint.

Google calls some duplication normal, not spam. The cost is crawling time spent on copies, and signals such as links split between addresses. Faceted navigation SEO covers which filter pages to keep.

Where you see it

  • Search Console → Page indexing report: the statuses “Duplicate without user-selected canonical” and “Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user”.
  • Search Console → URL Inspection: the user-declared canonical next to the Google-selected one.

Example

Example store, not client data.

The tableware shop lists each of its 3,000 products in two categories, with the category in the address. That makes 3,000 × 2 = 6,000 URLs for 3,000 distinct pages. Google treats each pair as one cluster and usually shows one address.

Not to be confused with

  • Product variants — four colours of a mug are four variants, not copies. Google asks for a separate URL for each.
  • Scaled content abuse — a spam policy against generating many pages to manipulate rankings. Duplicates from ordinary site functions fall outside it.

Right and wrong readings

  • Wrong: “Duplicate pages will get the store penalised.” Right: Google says content at several URLs is inefficient but causes no manual action. Copying other sites’ content can fall under the spam policy on scraping.
  • Wrong: “Search Console lists 3,000 duplicates, so the site has 3,000 errors.” Right: Google describes “Duplicate without user-selected canonical” as working as intended. Act when Google picked the wrong page.

Sources