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Header/Footer Markup - Duplicate Content

by Parth
6 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hey guys,

Running an ecommerce site, and there are many duplicate content issues popping up in our webmasters and SEMRush. Is there a way to mark the generic header and footer content on each page, so that the crawler knows this content is generic to every page?

Thank you in advance
#content #duplicate #header or footer #markup
  • Profile picture of the author sasuke120
    Duplicate content isn't such a big problem if it's reasonable so don't worry to much
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    • Profile picture of the author yukon
      Banned
      Originally Posted by sasuke120 View Post

      Duplicate content isn't such a big problem if it's reasonable so don't worry to much
      The reason that's wrong is duplicate internal pages won't all rank in Google SERPs. Google will dump all but one (If your lucky) duplicate pages in Supplemental SERPs.

      So..., If your busy building links to the wrong internal page/URL, a page that Google decided to dump in Supplemental SERPs, well, your pretty much wasting your time trying to rank a page that's been buried while some other duplicate internal page has zero links pointing at the page & buried in organic SERPs (no SEO).

      If you have a duplicate page issue, deal with it.

      I'm not sure what OP is talking about or why they would have anything other than nav links in a header/footer.
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      • Profile picture of the author Parth
        Well, the issue is that we have a lot of products that are generic - such as different bolts. It's ludicrous to write different meta titles for each different variation. Most are automated, placing the size and shape in the title, etc. But what SEMrush shows is duplication errors even when there is a different product variation, but the content may be 90% similar. I am trying to find a solution to this.
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        • Profile picture of the author yukon
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Parth View Post

          Well, the issue is that we have a lot of products that are generic - such as different bolts. It's ludicrous to write different meta titles for each different variation. Most are automated, placing the size and shape in the title, etc. But what SEMrush shows is duplication errors even when there is a different product variation, but the content may be 90% similar. I am trying to find a solution to this.
          I find it hard to believe that even the bolt example would all be exactly the same bolts.

          The product details change so the webpage needs the title & content changed to match the product being sold. If the product was the same across multiple pages it's just poor planning, that indeed is duplicate pages (same product).

          Again the bolt product example, bolts can have all kinds of differences, any one of these product details can change:

          • Material: Stainless steel
          • Grade: 18-8
          • Thread direction: Right hand
          • Thread density: Coarse
          • Diameter: 1/2"
          • Thread count: 13
          • Length: 1/2"
          • Head style: Hex
          • Drive type: External hex
          • Width across the flats: 3/4"
          • Fully threaded: Yes

          Similar pages aren't duplicate pages, but you need to be careful & sculpt internal/external links to make sure your best selling products are the pages that rank in the SERPs. Use the similar pages to boost your best selling products in each category (ex: wood screws, hex bolts, set screws, etc...).
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  • Profile picture of the author Parth
    How would you define reasonable? I've seen the matt cutts video, and although I'm not seeing any specific products coming up as duplicates, I'm seeing a bunch of search-related links coming up as duplicates, although this is only in SEMrush.
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  • Profile picture of the author Parth
    Thank you yukon
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