What is duplicate content, and does it hurt my site?

Duplicate content means the same or very similar text appears at more than one web address, on your site or across sites. Google's starter guide says ordinary duplication is inefficient but does not lead to a penalty. Copying other people's content or mass-producing near-identical pages is different; those fall under Google's spam policies.

Harmless duplicates (fix when you can)

• The same page opening at two addresses, such as with and without "www", or with different capital letters. Google treats different capitalization as different addresses.
• Printer-friendly versions or tracking codes added to links.
• A product description repeated in several categories.

These mainly waste Google's time crawling your site and can make it pick a different version than you want. The usual fixes are a redirect to one main address, or a "canonical" tag that tells Google which version is the main one.

Duplicates that can hurt

• Copied content. Taking text from other sites without adding anything is scraping under Google's spam policies.
• Town pages with only the town name changed. Google's doorway abuse policy covers pages made mainly to catch searches like this.
• Mass-produced pages, by AI or by template, that add little value.
• Manufacturer descriptions copied word for word on many stores. Not a penalty, but there is little reason for Google to show your copy over everyone else's.

What to do

1. Write your own words for your main pages, based on your real experience.
2. Make sure each page has one main address. Ask your web team to redirect or mark the others.
3. Combine thin pages on the same topic into one stronger page.

We can check this for you. Open a request in your client portal and our team will look for duplicate addresses and copied text on your site.

Common problems

• If another site copied your text, contact that site's owner first. If it causes real harm, open a request in your client portal and we will help you look at your options.
• If Google shows a different version of your page than you expect, a canonical tag or redirect usually fixes it.
• If you use the same text on several location pages, add details unique to each location, such as staff, directions and local photos.

Related articles

• What makes a good web address (URL) for SEO?
• Which SEO techniques should I avoid?
• Can I use AI to write my website content?
• What makes a good service page?