Oct 28, 2024
|
5
min read
Duplicate content is one of the most common and costly SEO issues facing eCommerce websites. With thousands of similar products, dynamic filters, and multiple page versions, it's easy to unknowingly create pages with similar or identical content. Search engines like Google may penalize or ignore these pages, impacting your visibility, rankings, and traffic.
In this detailed guide, we’ll explore what causes duplicate content, how it affects eCommerce SEO, and most importantly, how to fix and prevent it.
What is Duplicate Content?
Duplicate content refers to blocks of text or pages that appear in more than one location on the web. In the context of eCommerce, this usually happens when the same product or category information is available at multiple URLs within the same domain.
Common examples in online stores
Product listings accessible through multiple URLs (e.g., with and without tracking parameters)
Category filters generating new URLs (e.g., /shoes?color=black vs /shoes?color=red)
Same product copied across multiple categories
Manufacturer-provided descriptions used verbatim
Paginated content without proper canonicalization
Why Duplicate Content is a Problem for SEO
Search engines get confused when the same content appears in more than one place. This causes several issues for eCommerce SEO.
How it impacts your website
Search engines don’t know which page to rank
Link equity (ranking power) gets split across duplicates
Crawl budget is wasted indexing unnecessary pages
Pages may be filtered out or devalued in search results
When Google encounters duplicate content, it typically tries to determine the "canonical" or main version. But if not properly configured, it may pick the wrong one—or none at all.
Identify Duplicate Content on Your Site
Before you fix duplicate content, you need to find it. There are several ways to audit your site.
Tools for detection
Google Search Console: Use the "Pages" report to see duplicate content and canonical issues
Screaming Frog: Crawl your site and look for duplicate titles, meta descriptions, and content
Site: search on Google (e.g., site:yourdomain.com inurl=?color=) to find filter-based duplicates
SEMrush or Ahrefs: Both offer comprehensive site audit tools that flag duplicates
Pay attention to:
URL parameters and session IDs
Canonical tags and inconsistent tagging
Printer-friendly versions of pages
Mobile vs. desktop duplicates
Solutions to Fix Duplicate Content
Once you’ve identified problem areas, it's time to apply the right technical fixes. Most duplicate content can be resolved with a mix of canonical tags, URL parameters control, and better site architecture.
1. Use Canonical Tags Correctly
The canonical tag is an HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred one.
How to implement it
Place <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/preferred-page" /> in the <head> section of all duplicates.
Only the canonical version will be indexed, and the others will pass their link authority to it.
Make sure:
It points to the correct version (absolute URL)
It's consistent across similar pages
It isn’t pointing to a redirect or broken page
Refer to Google’s official canonicalization guidelines.
2. Minimize Parameter-Based Duplicates
Faceted navigation (filters by size, color, price, etc.) can easily create hundreds of duplicate pages with different URLs.
What to do
Use Google Search Console to set preferred parameters behavior
Block low-value parameters in robots.txt if they don’t offer useful content
Use canonical tags to point to the main version of the page
Avoid indexation of filter combinations that don't add unique value
Learn how faceted navigation impacts SEO on large eCommerce sites.
3. Avoid Copy-Pasting Manufacturer Descriptions
Using the same product descriptions provided by manufacturers makes your content identical to other retailers selling the same products.
The fix
Write unique descriptions for your best-selling products
Focus on benefits, not just features
Use user-generated content (UGC) like reviews to diversify content
Add videos, usage instructions, and FAQs to enrich the page
Need help? See Ahrefs’ guide to writing product descriptions.
4. Consolidate Similar Products
If you sell the same product in multiple colors or sizes, it's tempting to create separate pages for each.
Best practice
Use one page with dropdown selectors for options
Create a parent product with variation swatches (e.g., Shopify variants or WooCommerce attributes)
Keep all content on one URL and use schema markup for product variants
This improves user experience and consolidates ranking signals.
5. Implement Pagination Correctly
For large categories that span multiple pages (e.g., /shoes?page=2), improper pagination can lead to duplicate titles and meta descriptions.
Recommended setup
Add rel="prev" and rel="next" tags in the header of each paginated page
Use canonical tags to point each page to itself (not just page 1)
Create a static landing page that summarizes the entire category
Read Google’s pagination handling documentation.
6. Create Unique Category Page Content
Most eCommerce platforms list products on category pages but don’t add much unique text. This results in thin and often duplicate content.
Improve category pages by
Writing an introductory paragraph using targeted keywords
Including filters that dynamically update the page (with noindex if needed)
Adding internal links to related categories and blog content
Using schema markup to enrich search results
Explore BigCommerce’s tips for category SEO.
7. Use Hreflang for International Stores
If you have multiple versions of your site for different countries or languages, search engines may see them as duplicates.
Set up hreflang attributes
Hreflang tags indicate which version of a page is for which audience.
For example:<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us" href="https://example.com/us/" /><link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-gb" href="https://example.com/uk/" />
Proper implementation ensures Google delivers the correct version to the right audience.
Check Google’s hreflang best practices.
8. Set a Preferred Domain and Use HTTPS
Simple configuration mistakes can lead to multiple versions of your site being indexed, such as:
How to resolve
Choose one version (usually https://www.domain.com) and redirect others
Set the preferred domain in Google Search Console
Implement 301 redirects from all alternative versions to your canonical one
Follow Google's guide to preferred domains.
9. Monitor and Maintain
Duplicate content is not a one-time fix. eCommerce sites are dynamic—products change, URLs are added, and new content is uploaded.
Ongoing strategies
Crawl your site monthly using tools like Screaming Frog
Check Search Console for new duplicate issues
Use structured data to help Google understand your pages
Update old pages with new content and retire outdated ones
Staying proactive prevents SEO decay over time.
Final Thoughts
Duplicate content in eCommerce sites is often unintentional but can severely impact search engine performance. By understanding the sources of duplication and applying proven fixes—like canonical tags, optimized site structure, and unique product content—you can ensure your store is visible in search results and trusted by both users and algorithms.
Fixing duplicate content is not just about compliance with search engines—it’s about building a better experience for your customers. Clean URLs, helpful content, and properly structured pages ultimately lead to better engagement and more conversions.
Want to go deeper into technical SEO for eCommerce? Start with this technical audit checklist from SEMrush.
