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by RedWaterDub
8 replies
  • SEO
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I have a site which I built a few years ago which features pages/posts that are backed up by other pages/posts. Often the pages and the posts are very similar, although not duplicates they do feature the same topics.. for example a page may be about "Strategies to Win at Chess" and then I might have a post which is "Winning at Chess - Killer Tactics".. and both of these pages would link to the other... the content may not be exactly the same as the actual strategies could be different but some would be very similar.

NOW.. I am worried Google might be penalizing me for having pages and posts that are too similar...

Am I right to think this is a concern? I was thinking of combining all the posts and pages on my site which are too similar into just one post.

Is that a good idea?

What do you guys think about this issue?
#content #posts #similar
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    I think that would be a waste of time.

    You have to decide who you are writing for. Is it Google? I hope not.

    Put a good site index page on your blog along with categories that make perfect sense.

    Google will figure things out.

    Write for your subscribers and prospects - it sounds like that's what you've been doing.

    Steve
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    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Originally Posted by RedWaterDub View Post

    I have a site which I built a few years ago which features pages/posts that are backed up by other pages/posts. Often the pages and the posts are very similar, although not duplicates they do feature the same topics.. for example a page may be about "Strategies to Win at Chess" and then I might have a post which is "Winning at Chess - Killer Tactics".. and both of these pages would link to the other... the content may not be exactly the same as the actual strategies could be different but some would be very similar.

    NOW.. I am worried Google might be penalizing me for having pages and posts that are too similar...

    Am I right to think this is a concern? I was thinking of combining all the posts and pages on my site which are too similar into just one post.

    Is that a good idea?

    What do you guys think about this issue?
    Actually, If the pages are focused on one subject that's a good thing. Pick one page out of a small group of pages & use all the relevant pages on the same domain to help boost (relevant internal links) that page up the SERPs.
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    • Profile picture of the author RedWaterDub
      Okay.. thanks for your advice.. I understand how posts with similar content can benefit a page because of the internal links...

      but I am still a little concerned that Google, or even my readers might not like to read an article on one page, click a link to another page and read a similar article... they might say to themselves.. "I just read this stuff in that other article, its saying the same thing but just with different words"... so although i am happy with what I have already, maybe I shouldnt be

      In Google guidelines it says.. quote:

      Minimize similar content: If you have many pages that are similar, consider expanding each page or consolidating the pages into one. For instance, if you have a travel site with separate pages for two cities, but the same information on both pages, you could either merge the pages into one page about both cities or you could expand each page to contain unique content about each city.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Unless your copying/pasting multiple pages I wouldn't worry about it.

    If you really want to do edits, leave the already ranked pages alone & make any edits on the similar pages that don't rank, leave any internal links alone If they're pointing at ranked pages.
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  • Profile picture of the author kaurdevinder
    According to me it is not useful but if your all pages explain one topic then merge it into one page.
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  • Profile picture of the author RedWaterDub
    Yeah.. I am in the process of merging similar articles into one... I think it is better as it results in a more substantial article, and I am replacing any lost internal links from the pages I delete by adding more links from other pages which make sense. I think Panda is looking at this sort of stuff at the moment...
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  • Profile picture of the author OnTheRun
    As long as your websites don't contain the same articles, the same phrases, it's OK, Google won't mind.
    I don't know how they do it, but I keep reading about how Google can distinguish content written for the keywords from content written for the visitors.
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    • Profile picture of the author RedWaterDub
      whats the difference between these to paragraphs?

      1/ A local of Florida got the fright of his life when a plane flying at speed hit his home last Sunday. It was believed the plane flew directly into a dark cloud before losing control.

      2/ Over the weekend, a high velocity aircraft encountered heavy atmospheric conditions and crash landed into a residents house. The Florida resident was believed to be in shock over the incident.

      Do you think Google treats those two examples as the same?
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