Duplicate content: how to avoid it?
For a website owner, having duplicate content on its pages can be a source of trouble. Fortunately, there are now several practical tips to avoid these eventualities. Here are four simple and effective techniques to avoid duplicate content.
Use 301 redirects
The first option to avoid unintentional duplicate content is the 301 redirect. Better known as "Moved permenantly", it allows to redirect Google's algorithms to a new page. The idea is in fact to substitute the latter for an old page that in the meantime would be out of stock. The developers have developed several innovative methods for this redirection. However, as this is a complex method to implement, it is best to contact a qualified professional. You can find more information on this at https://www.stuff-and-facts.com/
Inserting canonical URLs on your site
An alternative to 301 redirection to avoid duplicate content is the use of canonical URLs. Their usefulness is to indicate to search engines that two pages have similar texts, images, or videos. Compared to the previous method, it does not aim at replacing one page with another. It should be kept in mind that with canonical URLs, the linked page will be displayed as the first option on search engines.
Using a Noindex tag
When a site owner can't find an immediate solution to duplicate content, the Noindex tag becomes useful. Often used as a backup, its main function is to prevent Google's algorithms from indexing the page. Paradoxically, it does not prohibit them from browsing all the links contained to avoid a penalty from Google.
Use the Google Search Console
Another way to remedy duplicate content is to use the Google Search Console parameters. In concrete terms, the commands of this service are used to define the areas of preference of your site and how to explore them. However, this technique has no practical value with other search engines such as Yahoo or Bing. Therefore, additional solutions are needed to implement it.