Duplicate content can be harmful to your site’s ranking. It splits link authority. As a result, it lowers ranking in organic search results. And this is where our SEO Academy online courses can be helpful.
SEO Academy Tips to Remove Duplicate Content
Here are some suggestions that you may want to implement:
Redirects
The use of 301 redirects will help consolidate link authority. They prompt de-indexation. And, most of all, they redirect the user to a new page. Google will assign the link authority to the new page through this redirect.
Canonical tags
This type of tag is a fancy word. It tells the search engine that this is the one truth. In other words, this type of tag identifies which page must be indexed and must have link authority.
These tags are not like 301 redirects. They do not redirect a user. Rather, they are suggesting the search engines on how to treat such a page.
You should consider canonical if redirects are impractical. That is if you cannot delete two identical pages.
Should You Use 302 Redirects
They tell the search engine that the page has been temporarily moved. Google stated that this type of redirect causes the passing of the link authority to the new page. Unfortunately, 302 does not prompt de-indexation. Thus, this method must be avoided if possible.
Google considered Javascript redirects as valid. But they are only considered as such after several days or when the rendering has been completed. However, you should only use it if you do not have server access for 301s.
Is Removing Content Harmful
Some are saying it is while others are saying that it will not affect ranking. However, killing any page without the use of redirects will only waste link authority. Keep in mind that link authority is a valuable commodity in a natural search.
For that reason, if you need to kill a page, make sure that you have thought about it carefully. Determine if you want to kill it for SEO or legal reasons. If it is the former, then you simply have to use the Google Search Console to tell the search engine to de-index the said URL. However, you must be careful in using it as it could de-index the entire site if you used it incorrectly.
You may also remove a page from the server to give a 404 file.
Removing duplicate content can have serious complications if it is done improperly. For that reason, you must study it thoroughly. Study its effects on your overall ranking.
At SEO Academy, we recommend enrolling in our online courses to help you find out more about how to properly remove duplicate content. We will also teach you basic and advanced techniques on how to do SEO the right way.
Our SEO online courses are designed by the best experts in the field. Find out more about how you can enroll in our online courses, please call SEO Academy today at (877) 503-8231.
