Definition: Duplicate Content

Duplicate content refers to identical or substantially similar content that appears on more than one web page or website. This can occur due to a variety of reasons, such as copy-pasting content from another source, accidental duplication when developing a website, or syndicating content across multiple sites. Having duplicate content can negatively impact search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, as search engines may not know which version of the content to index and rank. This can lead to confusion for users, and can dilute the ranking potential of individual pages, potentially hurting the visibility and credibility of a website. To avoid duplicate content, it is recommended to use canonical tags, redirects, or to rewrite original content to ensure that it is unique.