Duplicate content represents a major challenge for SEO. Too often ignored, it can have a negative impact on a website’s visibility.
This is particularly true in Switzerland, where the rich linguistic landscape makes it easy for pages with identical content to appear.
To maintain a robust SEO strategy, it is crucial to avoid duplicate content.
This article takes an in-depth look at the problem of duplicate content, its common causes and effective strategies for avoiding it.
– Duplicate content is detrimental to a site’s SEO and can mislead search engine spiders.
– The most common causes are site redesigns, domain extensions and development versions inadvertently put online.
– Create unique content for each page to improve referencing.
– Use 301 redirects and canonical tags to manage duplicate URLs.
– Use “noindex” tags for low-value pages.
Understanding the problem of duplicate content
The definition of duplicate content is when identical content is found on two different pages.
To be indexed by search engines, each page must have unique content.
For example, page A of a site has exactly the same text as page B.
There is no point in a search engine like Google showing page A and page B in its search results.
Simply because these pages present precisely the same information.
Duplicate content is not limited to a site’s internal pages. Copying content from site C to site D is also considered duplicate content.
This means that a site offering many identical pages will see its organic visibility decrease. The search engine spiders that crawl the site are confused by both the structure and the content.
This is why understanding and avoiding duplicate content is crucial to ensuring a sustainable SEO strategy in the long term.
Common causes of duplicate content
During our SEO audits for companies in Switzerland, we frequently identify visibility problems linked to duplicate content.
Here is a list of the most common causes:
Redesigning a website
During website migration, it is easy to forget to redirect old pages to new ones.
This issue often occurs during the introduction of a new design. The old pages then remain indexed by Google, creating duplicate content.
Domain extensions (.ch and .com)
Domain extensions can sometimes cause duplicate content issues.
Let’s take an example: a company based in Neuchâtel buys a domain (.ch). With its business going from strength to strength, the company decides to export its products and services internationally.
To cover the different languages, it acquires a .com domain for its activities abroad.
Very frequently, the content of the Swiss site (.ch) is copied onto the international site (.com), generating duplicate content between the two sites.
Version of the site under development **
Site redesign projects can also lead to duplicate content.
Developers generally use a version or subdomain (beta.) or (dev.) to facilitate exchanges and collect feedback from their customers.
After final validation, versions of subdomains used for development are inadvertently put online.
This generates duplicate content between the development domain and the main domain, which confuses search engines and damages SEO.
Strategies to avoid duplicate content
1. Create unique content
Each page of your site deserves unique and original content. Think about what each page has to offer your visitors.
This will improve your online visibility and enhance the legitimacy and authority of your site.
2. Use systematic redirects
When you want to update existing content and create a new page, use 301 redirects.
These tell Google that the content on a page has been moved. This will keep your SEO healthy by transferring the value of the old page to the new one.
3. Adopt a consistent domain strategy
If you have both a .com and a .ch domain, establish a clear content strategy for both sites. It is essential to localise as much information as possible in order to have unique pages.
Use redirects to send traffic from a page that is likely to have identical content to another. This will avoid conflicts and unnecessary duplicate content.
4. Use of the canonical tag
Implement canonical tags for pages with multiple URLs, but which offer the same content.
For example, if you use filter parameters in your URLs, the canonical tag tells Google which primary version of a page should be indexed.
5. Use “noindex “ tags
For pages with little or no unique value, use noindex tags. Search engines are told not to index these pages.
Note that the noindex tag is used by crawlers for information purposes only.
To force non-indexing, it is preferable to ensure that there are few duplicate pages and to use the no-index tag sparingly.
Effective management of duplicate content is therefore a fundamental pillar of a successful SEO strategy.
To optimise your site’s visibility, it is crucial to ensure that the content on each page is unique.
Judicious use of 301 redirects and precise management of your domains (.com and .ch) are essential practices.
Finally, the strategic implementation of canonical and noindex tags will enable you to prevent potential negative effects on your organic visibility.
For companies aiming for a robust multilingual presence in Switzerland, a tailored approach is often necessary.
A well-designed digital marketing strategy can transform your website into a powerful lead generation tool.
Don’t hesitate to contact us to develop an SEO strategy tailored to your specific needs and maximise the potential of your online presence.
I am a digital marketing consultant with 20 years of experience, specialized in optimizing online presence for companies based in Switzerland with national or international activity.
Passionate about entrepreneurship, I develop customized SEO strategies, including audits, keyword research, topic clusters, and content creation, to boost the growth and visibility on Google of our clients.
My goal is to increase their web visibility, strategically position their brands, and convert traffic into business opportunities, working in French, German, and English.
I transform digital challenges into commercial successes.