Duplicate content is content that appears somewhere on the internet in more than one URL. It confuses search engines, like Google, because they don’t know where to send the searcher. Regardless. Duplicate content is going to happen in today’s digital world.

Quotes from experts are used to give credibility to blogs, certain call-to-action words are commonly used, and colloquialisms are used frequently throughout the internet. That being said, duplicate content is unacceptable and must be kept to a minimum so Google doesn’t lower your rankings on searches or exclude it altogether.

What is Duplicate Content and Why it Hurts SEO

Duplicate content refers to identical or nearly identical content that exists in multiple places on the web, typically on different URLs within the same site or on different domains.

Reasons This is Problematic for SEO

• Search engines have difficulty crawling, indexing, and ranking duplicate content appropriately. The same content on different URLs can confuse algorithms on which page should rank for a given search query.
• It dilutes the link equity and authority passed to each instance of the duplicate content. With the same content published across multiple URLs, the cumulative signals that should aid ranking are divided.
• Duplicate content can manipulate search results through keyword stuffing or scraping techniques, leading search engines to view it as spammy.

According to recent surveys, over 60% of websites contain some degree of unintentional duplicate content issues.

But duplicate content spans beyond just verbatim copies.

Some Common Forms

• Scraped or spun content – Content automatically generated or rewritten by software to appear unique. This is often thin, low-quality content.
• Boilerplate content – Identical generic text like footer content copied across many pages.
• Affiliate product descriptions – Dropshipping sites copying manufacturer product descriptions.
• Auto-generated category or tag pages – Many CMS platforms create these duplicate pages automatically.
• Localised content – The same content is published in multiple languages or for different regions.
• Old content exported across sites – For example, after migrating from an old domain.
  

One of the most common types of duplicate content is product descriptions because many different online stores sell some of the same products by the same manufacturer. For example, books and CDs are by the same author or library, so the content is often the same.

Since this issue is commonplace, there are websites called duplicate content checkers that scan articles and report back for editing. Here are eight handy duplicate content checkers:

8 Helpful Duplicate Content Checker Sites

Copyscape

Copyscape is a reliable and accurate tool that allows the writer to search other published articles for duplicate content. It will scan and search all PDF files, internet sites, forums and blogs for duplicate content and provide the locations for the writer to review. Copyscape is free, with upgrades available for checking unpublished content.

Google Webmaster Tools

Google Webmaster is a tool that will reveal duplicate titles or descriptions so writers can identify the problem. It also searches everything causing visibility, including backlinks, robots.txt, errors and query data. 

Plagiarisma.Net

Plagiarism is a free duplicate content checker trusted by more than four million professionals and students worldwide. This site detects copyright infringement in essays, research papers, articles and other marketing content.

ProfileTree

ProfileTree is a leading content marketing agency in Ireland. The highly experienced content writing and SEO team can help any business identify duplicate content on their website and help avoid such problems by providing incredibly effective content marketing blog posts and a clear digital strategy for any company. 

DupeOff

With DupeOff, you can simply log on and paste your content up to four sentences per week for free if not registered. It separates the content into smaller sentences and queries Google and Bing search engines for copies.  

Plagium

Plagium is a tool that allows users up to 25,000 characters for a duplicate content check. It features an email alert when the article is copied and also offers premium memberships for a minimal fee.

Duplichecker

This free tool checks unpublished articles by either pasting or uploading the .txt file so the search can be completed. It will check the content and, in seconds, report whether it is unique.

Plagspotter

PlagSpotter is a duplicate content-checking tool that offers instant copies of web pages and automatically scans, detects and monitors a web page for duplicate content.

Sharing has pros and cons as far as SEO and Google are concerned. To make sure the content isn’t tagged as duplicate, a link back to the original website must be used. These links are valuable because they expand the author’s or business’s reach, but since the link takes the search back to the original site, it keeps the content original. 

The downside of sharing is that the search goes to an outside website instead of the writer’s company, and customers may be missed. To prevent this, bloggers can either save their best content for another blog and ask that it be linked back to their site or rewrite it so duplicate content issues won’t happen. Or translate it into a different language and reach out to another market. Google doesn’t recognise words in a different language as duplicate content.

Why You Should Stay Away from Duplicate Content

Duplicate content can make Google and other search engines think you are a plagiariser.  When you repost an article, search engines see it stolen or copied. This is called ‘content scraping’. If you plan to repost an older one, reword and rework it to make it fresh and new. Add graphics that are linked back to the original post or website.

Duplicate content confuses everyone. Readers enjoy knowing whose material they are reading. If you repost content and link it to different places the comments, likes and other sharing tools get separated and they don’t know what is your content and what’s someone else’s.

Best Practices to Prevent Duplicate Content

The best way to deal with duplicate content is to avoid publishing it in the first place.

Here are some best practices:

• Consolidate similar content and redirect duplicate URLs to a single canonical page. Use canonical tags to signal the definitive URL.
  
• Noindex auto-generated category, tag, or date archive pages if they have duplicate content. Focus indexing only on unique cornerstone pages.
  
• Use robots.txt directives to block scrapers from accessing duplication-prone content like category pages.
  
• For translated or localised content, use hreflang tags to indicate regional URLs of the same content.
  
• Rewrite or expand thin affiliate product content rather than merely copying from merchant sites. Add unique descriptions, images, and reviews.
  
• Replace duplicate boilerplate footer or sidebar content with text specific to each page.
  
• When migrating content from an old domain, redirect obsolete pages to the new URL; don’t leave duplicate copies on both sites.

Duplicate content can be found on-site (a business website) or offsite on another website.

There are three types of duplicate content:

1. True Duplicates: True duplicates occur when the content is the same as on another page but has a different URL; 
   
2. Near Duplicates: Near duplicates occur when part of a text, image or the content’s order is similar to another web page.
   
3. Cross-domain Duplicates: Cross-domain duplicates occur when two websites have the same content and could either be true or near.

How to Use Previously Posted Content 

Edit the Old Post

Reword, rework, and edit the old post with new, fresh ideas. There’s always something new and exciting to add. Give it a new name and tag, and you’ll have a brand new post to share with your readers quickly. Or add a new, more relevant example to highlight your point.

When Guest Posting Write New Content 

It doesn’t matter if you post on your website or another’s; all posts must be unique. This goes both ways. Inviting a guest to write material for your blog and vice versa, but it must be unique to work for search engine rankings.

It doesn’t matter if you post on your website or another’s; all posts must be unique. This goes both ways. Inviting a guest to write material for your blog and vice versa, but it must be unique to work for search engine rankings. However, in this case, if you find any duplicate or plagiarised text pieces in your content. You must remove that and do not publish the content until it is unique. Here, you can use an AI reworder to accurately transform the plagiarised content into a unique one.

Refer to Analytics

Bloggers who use content management services, like WordPress websites, and email management services, like MailChimp.com, have so many analytics and reports at their fingertips. 

Make it a part of your everyday routine to go to these reports and evaluate what blog content was successful and what content wasn’t successful. These reports will share statistics like open, click-through, and bounce rates.

Get to Know the Technical Terms Associated with Google 

Open a new door to search engine optimisation and Google searches by researching and becoming familiar with technical terms. Words like keyword optimisation, search engine optimisation, crawling, canonicalisation, canonical tag, URLs, 301 Redirect, back end, and so many more.

Understanding this terminology will help you become a more professional blogger and use your written craft to increase traffic to your site, increase your conversion rate and create unique, valuable blogs for your readers.

Google rewards sites that have unique content with higher rankings. Original content makes a company stand out among the thousands of others doing similar business. Check out some of the duplicate content checkers and see for yourself. For more information on duplicate content or for help with your in-house team and digital marketing, get in touch with us today.

Comparing Duplicate Content Tools

There are many duplicate content detection tools available. Here is an overview of some popular options:

Tool	Accuracy	Crawls	Filters	Reports	Cost
Copyscape	Good	500 pages/scan	Some	Simple %	Free & paid plans
Siteliner	Excellent	50k pages/mo	Robust	Detailed	Paid only
Copernic Duplication Hunter	Very good	10k pages/scan	Good	Stats & examples	Free trial then paid
Search Console	Decent	Indexed pages	Few	Limited data	Free
Screaming Frog	Very good	500 pages/scan	Advanced	Full exports	Free trial then paid

Key factors to compare are crawl limits, filtration options, depth of reporting, and costs. Payable tools like Siteliner and Screaming Frog offer the most powerful customisable duplication detection capabilities.

Examples of Duplicate Content Issues

Here are some common duplicate content scenarios and how to resolve them:

• Example: Your blog feed automatically populates tag pages with fully copied articles. Fix: Use a “nofollow” or “noindex” tag on the feed to avoid indexing.
  
• Example: You imported your old WordPress site but kept the live site up, too. Fix 301 redirects all old URLs to the relevant new URLs.
  
• Example: You have the same “About Us” content copied across multiple regional website versions. Fix: Use hreflang tags to indicate these are localised copies of the same content.
  
• Example: Your product descriptions are all copied from manufacturer sites. Fix: Rewrite all product descriptions to be unique and add value.
  
• Example: Your category pages have auto-generated content without unique text. Fix: Add unique descriptions and content to each category page.
  

Duplicate Content Checker Conclusion

Duplicate content can sabotage SEO efforts if left unchecked on a website. The best approach is proactively preventing duplication issues when creating and curating content. However, even with the best efforts, duplicate content can sneak through over time as sites expand. Leveraging an accurate duplicate content detection tool to conduct periodic scans can identify these issues early before they impact rankings.

With the right combination of duplication prevention best practices and ongoing monitoring, websites can more effectively consolidate authority signals, avoid indexing pitfalls, and boost their search visibility through fully unique, high-quality content.

The conclusion summarizes the key points throughout the article – the pitfalls of duplicate content, recommendations for avoiding it, and the importance of using duplication checker tools to identify issues proactively.

Duplicate Content Checker FAQ