Hiya Reader,
Have you ever heard of *duplicate content* when it comes to SEO?
If not, lemme give you a quick definition:
Duplicate content = when the same content exists on multiple pages of your site. Google finds both pages, looks at them, and goes "sooooo...which one of these is the real one?"
Which totally makes me think of Eminem's "will the real slim shady please stand up" πΆ
If you remember this music video, you KNOW how chaotic it was with all the different Eminem's walking around.
That's how search engines feel when you have duplicate content on your website.
Chaotic. Confused.
And if you only learn ONE THING about SEO from me, let it be this...
Clarity = better rankings = better SEO results = more $$$
So when it comes to duplicate content, if search engines can't figure out which page is the "real" one, or which one you WANT it to rank, they'll guess.
Guessing creates confusion which is the opposite of clarity.
And when they're left to guessing, 7 out of 10 times, they'll NOT pick the one you want bc Google is an asshole (that's not the reason lmao but I've seen search engines choose a very OBVIOUS not good option before for no good reason).
So, now you're prob thinking "Okay great, duplicate content = bad"
Which is correct, but there's some nuance I want to explain because this came up as a question inside Search Club this week...
"Back in the early days of SEO, I learned that it was really bad to repeat content verbatim. Is that still true? For example, if I have a short bio section on each of my service pages, should they be slightly different or can they be the same?"
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- Ellen Lindsey,
Executive Leadership Coachβ
Let's break it down...
Different parts of your website are the EXACT same, for good reason.
- Your header and footer are the same on every single page of your website.
- Your navigation links are the same.
- Your copyright line is the same.
And search engines don't blink twice about those, because it's totally normal.
BUT, it's ALSO normal to repeat bios, sentences, quotes, messaging, positioning, disclaimers, shipping/return policies, etc, too!
When does duplicate content start to become a problem?
When TOO MUCH content is duplicated..
Like when entire pages feel copy-pasted with just a couple words swapped out.
Google (and AI tools) don't love recommending the same website multiple times in a row for the same search. They prefer a buffet-style approach.
They like to give people options.
So when you have multiple pages on your site, solving the same problem for the same audience, the bots genuinely don't know which one is the BEST answer and they'll just pick a random one to judge & potentially rank.
The modern guideline that I follow (and teach) is this: duplicate content should be no more than 20% of any given page. Some people push that to 30-40%, but I like to be cautious lol.
So if your page is solid, original content with a repeated bio? You're totalllllllly fine.
What Google *actually* cares about...
- Is the majority of a page unique & useful so you don't become your own competition?
- Are you giving people something worth reading?
- Is the page clearly about a specific topic?
- Does it answer a real question?
A lil' repeated bio section is not going to tank your rankings. So if you've got a short "about me" blurb that you're dropping onto a few service pages, same wording and everything, no need to stress!
Write it once, write it well, and let it liiiiiiiiive, my friend.
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Check out the step-by-step YouTube video tutorial...
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π Action step for this week:
Go peek at some of your core pages this week and look at them side by side.
- Do they feel distinct from each other?
- Does each one clearly solve a different problem for a specific person?
If yes, you're good to go!
If something feels off, or a couple pages feel like basically the same page with different words sprinkled through, it's time to dig in a lil' bit more.
Try to make it clear EXACTLY what this page is all about, and for who.
If you have numerous ones that feel pretty close together, sometimes you can combine those pages!
SEO is about QUALITY of pages, not quantity.
We want YOUR website, and YOUR brand to be the BEST solution to the problem that your audience is already typing in. And when you have too many pages competing for the same thing, with duplicate content, you're muddying the waters for everyone (bots, users, AND potential customers + clients).
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