Review and update internal links to point to preferred canonical URLs
Consider implementing 301 redirects for external links
Ensure redirects are appropriately configured to maintain site performance
3. Consolidate Similar Content
The most strategic approach involves combining similar pages to:
Improve user experience
Streamline Search Console reporting
Reduce site clutter
Splitt explains:
“If you find that you have multiple very similar pages, even if Google doesn’t consider them duplicates, try to combine them. It makes information easier to find for your users, will make reporting in Google Search Console easier to work with, and will reduce clutter on your site.”
Search Console Notices
Google Search Console may flag pages with various duplicate content notices:
“Duplicate without user-selected canonical”
“Alternate page with proper canonical tag”
“Duplicate Google chose different canonical than user”
These notifications indicate that Google has indexed the content, possibly under different URLs than initially intended.
International SEO Considerations
Splitt addresses duplicate content in international contexts, noting that similar content across multiple language versions is acceptable and handled appropriately by Google’s systems.
He states:
“If you find that you have multiple very similar pages, even if Google doesn’t consider them duplicates, try to combine them. It makes information easier to find for your users, will make reporting in Google Search Console easier to work with, and will reduce clutter on your site.”
Why This Matters
This guidance represents Google’s current stance on duplicate content and clarifies best practices for content organization and URL structure optimization.
See the full video below:
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