It is often said that two are better than one. But in SEO, two webpages that appear too similar can cause double the trouble. This is what we call duplicate content.

• A quick primer on meta info and duplicate content issues
• How to Get Rid of Duplicate Meta Data with a WordPress Plugin
• FAQ: How can I effectively manage duplicate content issues on my website?

What exactly is duplicate content? Google defines it in the following way:

Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.

There are things that can cause duplicate content on your website. For example, you could have:

1. Meta information duplicates
2. Similar content across pages
3. Boilerplate content on all pages
4. Two different site versions
5. A separate mobile site
6. Trailing slashes on URLs
7. CMS problems
8. Parameterized pages
9. Product description issues

These are all common issues for websites, and you can fix them. For a deeper dive (especially on what types of duplicate content cause problems for SEO), I recommend you read our guide on duplicate content.

Today, I’m going to dive into how to deal with the issue on a WordPress site specifically. But to start, this video overviews how to get rid of duplicate content on a website:

Now let’s focus on how to avoid duplicate content issues that fall into the category of duplicate meta information. And you’ll be able to do this easily with a WordPress SEO plugin.

A Quick Primer on Meta Info and Duplicate Content Issues

If you’re already well-versed on meta info and duplicate content issues, you can skip to the next section to learn about how you can fix it with a WordPress SEO plugin.

If you’re still here, let’s talk about the duplicate content issue.

Meta tags are on the code side of a webpage. They are meta information (or meta data) about a page, including the title and description. Meta data is one of the first pieces of code that a search engine encounters when it crawls a page.

Page source view on a BruceClay.com article

The meta tags tell the search engine what the page is about. That’s why it’s so important that the titles and meta descriptions be accurate and unique within your website.

As smart as Google’s ranking algorithm is at figuring out the topic of a webpage, it still needs help with context. Because it can’t read like you or I can.

So the meta information, especially the meta title, is critical for communicating the topic of the page. This, in turn, helps Google understand that the webpage is a good match for a search query.

It’s a common SEO issue: meta tags on a site have duplicate or similar text. This can be especially true on large websites with hundreds or thousands of webpages.

And it can happen for a variety of reasons. Meta tags may not be a priority; automation software may be used due to too many webpages, and so on.

Regardless of the reason, the same or similar meta tags can cause duplicate content issues within a site. Again, this type of duplicate content is especially important to fix because meta tags are the first chance at communicating to the search engine what the page is about.

Will you suffer a Google penalty because of it? No. Google does not have a duplicate content penalty unless the duplicate content is deceptive.

From Google:

Duplicate content on a site is not grounds for action on that site unless it appears that the intent of the duplicate content is to be deceptive and manipulate search engine results.

This usually occurs when sites copy content from other sites and claim it as their own.

For duplicate content within a website, though, you can suffer some consequences. And that consequence is your webpages being filtered from the search results.

When faced with two pages whose contents appear too similar, Google picks the page that it believes to be the best for the query. And it leaves the other page out of the results.

But this may or may not be the page you want to show up in the search results &mdash, so you want to avoid filtering.

How to Get Rid of Duplicate Meta Data with a WordPress Plugin

Until now, it has not been easy for WordPress users to identify duplicate content issues right in WordPress. But with our WordPress SEO plugin, it’s simple to get this data.

1. Install the Bruce Clay SEO WP Plugin

If you’re not already a user of our WordPress SEO plugin, here’s how you can get started:

Get a free trial here. We offer an affordable monthly plan at $24.95 thereafter with access to all WordPress SEO functionality plus our SEOToolSet® if you want more analytics and reports.

Installation is quick and easy, and you have two options. One way is to download the Bruce Clay SEO plugin from the WordPress repository here.

Another way is to  install the plugin from within your WordPress site by going to WP admin > Plugins > Add New and searching for “Bruce Clay.”

2. Set Up and Sync the Plugin

This step will sync all published content on your website with the toolset. You’ll synchronize your content when you first set up the plugin, from the Settings tab.

3. Review the Activity Tab for Duplicate Titles and Descriptions

See which pages on your site pose duplicate content issues at the metadata level. Our WordPress SEO plugin runs a check when pages are published or synched.

(A sync happens when the page is published, the “analyze content” button is pressed, or when a sync is manually run from the Settings screen.)

It then reports on any potential duplicate content issues from the same meta information.

4. Click on the Page or Post

Select a page or post and automatically bring it up in the WordPress editor so you can adjust the title or description.

5. Make Changes to the Meta Info

If you are using Yoast SEO, you would adjust the title and description there. If you are using our title and description feature, you can adjust it there. (Note: If Yoast is active on your site, the Bruce Clay SEO plugin automatically hides these fields to prevent any confusion.)

Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin’s title and description editor

Yoast SEO plugin’s title and description editor

6. Mark as Done

Mark the alert as “done” in the Activity tab. The alert will go away immediately.

You can read more on how the Bruce Clay SEO plugin helps you with:

• Keyword optimization
• Real-time and customized data
• Custom SEO advice per keyword
• Tracking your content performance

Get rid of the duplicate content in your WordPress site starting today. Get your free trial of our WordPress SEO plugin now.

FAQ: How can I effectively manage duplicate content issues on my website?

Duplicate content issues can significantly impact your website’s search engine ranking and user experience. Effectively managing these issues requires a combination of technical expertise and strategic planning. This article offers valuable insights to help you tackle duplicate content and optimize your website for better performance.

Identifying Duplicate Content

Identifying duplicate content is the first step in managing the issue. Utilize tools such as website crawlers to analyze your site’s content and identify instances of duplication. Look for similar content across different pages, repetitive meta information, and boilerplate text that may negatively affect your SEO efforts.

Addressing Duplicate Content

Once identified, it’s crucial to address duplicate content promptly. Begin by creating unique and compelling meta titles and descriptions for each page. Update or rewrite repetitive content to provide valuable insights and engage your audience. Ensuring that each page offers distinct and valuable information enhances your site’s relevance and credibility.

Preventing Duplicate Content

Prevention is key to maintaining a website free of duplicate content. Implement best practices such as canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page to search engines. Regularly audit your site for redundant content and use redirects to consolidate similar pages. You enhance your site’s overall SEO performance by proactively preventing duplicate content.

User-Friendly Navigation

A well-structured website with intuitive navigation can also help prevent duplicate content issues. Ensure that your site’s URLs are clear and descriptive, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand the hierarchy of your content. Utilize breadcrumb navigation and internal linking to guide users through your site while maintaining a coherent content structure.

Regular Monitoring and Optimization

Managing duplicate content is an ongoing process. Regularly monitor your website for any new instances of duplication that may arise. Stay updated with the latest SEO guidelines and best practices to optimize your content strategy continuously. By staying vigilant and proactive, you can maintain a high-quality website that delivers value to both users and search engines.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Effectively Manage Duplicate Content Issues on Your Website

1. Identify duplicate content using website crawling tools.
2. Analyze similarities across pages and examine meta-information.
3. Determine the scope and extent of the duplicate content issue.
4. Prioritize pages with the highest impact on SEO and user experience.
5. Create unique and informative meta titles and descriptions.
6. Rewrite or update redundant content to offer distinct value.
7. Utilize canonical tags to guide search engines to the preferred page.
8. Implement 301 redirects to consolidate similar content.
9. Audit your website’s navigation and URL structure.
10. Optimize breadcrumb navigation for easy user navigation.
11. Use internal linking to guide users through your content.
12. Regularly monitor your website for new instances of duplication.
13. Stay updated with evolving SEO guidelines and best practices.
14. Continuously optimize your content strategy to prevent future issues.

The post How to Get Rid of Duplicate Content in WordPress appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

If a cardiologist wanted to see how your heart was doing, they’d hook you up to an EKG to measure your heart rate at rest or during activity.

What a cardiologist wouldn’t do is tell you your heart health based on a study of people like you, without doing an EKG. They need a baseline. And that baseline is the information your unique heart is putting out.

There are a lot of great WordPress SEO plugins out there. And they all function differently. A common theme among many of them is that they base their recommendations (and functionality) on SEO best practices.

Best practices definitely have their place. But you can’t rely solely on them. After a while, your site becomes average and like everyone else’s. Your website and your keywords are as unique as a heartbeat. To have a better chance of ranking on Page 1 of the search results, you need custom SEO advice. And I’ll show you how to get it.

• Best practices are great, except when they’re not
• What’s missing in your WordPress SEO guidance
• How to get custom SEO advice from your WordPress SEO plugin 
• FAQ: What data and analytics does a WordPress SEO plugin provide to enhance my SEO efforts?

Best Practices Are Great, Except When They’re Not

I’m all for large-scale SEO research studies that produce interesting data on all things SEO. Some studies you may have seen in the past show ranking factors, optimal metadata length, content length correlated to top rankings, and so on.

These studies tend to look at a massive amount of search results across all niches and all types of keywords with varying intent. Marketers use these studies as a guiding light.

This data then becomes an SEO truth which many go by. The new best practice then trickles into every corner of the SEO industry, including in-house practices, agencies, and WordPress plugins.

Folks, there is a difference between data and wisdom, and assuming that every keyword on the web requires a 1,700-word page to rank is simply crazy.

Study data provides a useful road map. But we can do better.

What’s Missing in Your WordPress SEO Guidance

When it comes to WordPress SEO plugins, there’s no shortage of great ones. You will not likely find everything you need in just one SEO plugin. So the best way to go about using them is to create a custom plugin stack that works for your SEO needs.

As we researched the SEO plugin market before we created our own, we found a gap. Many of the leading plugins base their guidance and features on established best practices and industry data averages.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with that. We saw an opportunity to help more websites succeed in the search results with an SEO plugin that gave custom SEO advice.

Instead of static recommendations based on generic research, we wanted to give real-time SEO advice based on the top-ranked pages for a keyword.

This is a game-changer. Consider this: Every keyword has a different intent, and that intent biases the algorithm. Since every keyword query has its own intent and thus its own algorithm, there are as many algorithms as there are keywords.

Then you add the bias of RankBrain and an individual’s web history on a query, and the possibilities are endless when ranking webpages. It is almost impossible to hit a home run if you’re just relying on generic best practices.

That is why analytics tools exist — to give you custom data. That is why we decided to power our Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin with analytics, not just static best practices.

How to Get Custom SEO Advice from Your WordPress SEO Plugin

Real-time analytics powers every aspect of our WordPress SEO plugin. That’s because our plugin is run like software as a service (SaaS) rather than a static WordPress plugin.

It enriches your WordPress workspace with SEO recommendations based on real-time search results and analytics.

Our WordPress SEO plugin uses live connections with:

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• SEOToolSet®

So you never need to leave WordPress again to analyze your keywords, competition and performance in real time.

As a result, the optimization advice is customized. This helps you optimize your page to the same level as the top-ranked pages in Google’s search results.

Our WordPress SEO plugin gives you custom SEO advice and performance data such as:

• Target content length
• Readability scores and goals
• Custom meta information advice
• Keyword density and distribution goals
• Mobile usability and speed scores
• Average time on page
• Page views
• Conversions
• Clicks
• Impressions
• Click-through rate
• Content performance by author

Traffic tab in Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin

And by the way, when you subscribe to our SEO plugin, you get full access to all the tools in our SEOToolSet. Since our WordPress SEO plugin is powered in part by the SEOToolSet, you don’t have to leave WordPress to get the benefits of it.

But if you log in to your SEOToolSet, you can take advantage of more SEO tools and reports at no extra charge.

How much do we believe in this technology? Our issued U.S. patent number is 10698961.

Ready to get real-time SEO advice in WordPress? Get your free trial of our WordPress SEO plugin now.

Read more on how the Bruce Clay SEO plugin helps you with:

• Keyword optimization
• Avoiding duplicate content
• Custom SEO advice per keyword
• Tracking your content performance

FAQ: What Data and Analytics Does a WordPress SEO Plugin Provide to Enhance My SEO Efforts?

Search engine optimization (SEO), also known as search engine marketing, is critical to ensure that your website appears prominently in search results. WordPress provides an ideal platform for SEO efforts; however, with the right plugin this process can take off even further.

Understanding Keyword Performance Metrics

A key component of SEO is knowing how well your chosen keywords are performing. WordPress SEO plugins offer comprehensive keyword analysis, revealing vital information like search volume, competitiveness, and trends. Armed with this data, you can fine-tune your content strategy and focus on keywords that resonate most with your target audience.

On-Page Analysis for Content Optimization

To succeed in the digital sphere, your website’s content must be optimized for both search engines and users. WordPress SEO plugins provide in-depth on-page analysis, highlighting areas where you can improve. These insights encompass readability, keyword density, meta tags, and even suggestions for internal linking. By implementing these recommendations, you can enhance your content’s relevance and user-friendliness.

Backlink Tracking and Competitor Analysis

Staying ahead of the competition is a core tenet of SEO. WordPress SEO plugins can assist you in this endeavor by offering tools to monitor backlinks and analyze your competitors’ strategies. By keeping tabs on your inbound and outbound links, you can identify opportunities for link building and detect potentially harmful backlinks. Additionally, gaining insights into your competitors’ keyword rankings and content strategies can guide your own SEO efforts.

Performance Metrics and Site Speed Optimization

Website speed and performance are crucial ranking factors. Many WordPress SEO plugins provide performance metrics and recommendations for enhancing site speed. These insights can help you identify and rectify issues that may be slowing down your site, improving user experience and search engine rankings.

Empowering Your SEO Journey

A WordPress SEO plugin can be a game-changer for your SEO endeavors. These plugins offer an array of data and analytics, from keyword performance metrics to on-page analysis and competitor insights, all of which empower you to make informed decisions to enhance your website’s SEO performance.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Leverage WordPress SEO Plugin Data and Analytics for Enhanced SEO:

1. Install and activate a reputable WordPress SEO plugin.
2. Configure the plugin settings according to your website’s needs.
3. Perform keyword research using the plugin’s tools to identify high-potential keywords.
4. Create and optimize content around the selected keywords, following the plugin’s on-page recommendations.
5. Monitor keyword performance metrics regularly and make adjustments to your content strategy as needed.
6. Utilize the plugin’s backlink tracking features to manage your site’s backlink profile.
7. Analyze competitor strategies using the plugin’s competitor analysis tools.
8. Incorporate insights gained from competitor analysis into your own SEO strategy.
9. Review the plugin’s performance metrics and take action to improve site speed and performance.
10. Regularly update your content and SEO strategy based on the data and analytics provided by the plugin.
11. Continuously monitor your website’s SEO performance and adapt your approach to stay competitive.
12. Stay informed about updates and new features offered by the plugin.
13. Collaborate with other SEO professionals and share insights gained from the plugin’s data.
14. Maintain a consistent focus on quality content creation and user experience.
15. Track your website’s progress in search engine rankings and organic traffic over time.
16. Adjust your SEO strategy as necessary to achieve your desired goals.
17. Stay up-to-date with industry trends and algorithm changes that may impact SEO.
18. Conduct regular audits of your website’s SEO health using the plugin’s auditing tools.
19. Implement recommended changes to address any SEO issues identified in the audits.
20. Continuously learn and adapt your SEO practices to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of digital marketing.

This article was updated on December 22, 2023.  

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