Duplicate content is an issue that’s common among many sites. A question that I hear frequently is, “what makes content duplicate to Google”? Google states, “Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar”.

You may have heard of duplicate content before, however, many site owners are not aware of the ways in which duplicate content can occur. Typically we see duplicate content created unintentionally, but we’ve also seen it deliberately created. On sites where it is not created in a manipulative manner, there are rarely penalties by the search engines. Instead, there is something that is often referred to as a duplicate content filter. This is where the search engines filter out duplicated pages so that they can provide the searcher diverse search results.

When search engines filter out duplicate pages, you as the publisher of the content have little control over which url or domain is displayed in the search results. That being said, I think it’s important to identify a few ways that we often see duplicate content.

1) www and non-www versions both index-able by the search engines. This is probably the most common occurrence of duplicate content.

• http://example.com/
• http://www.example.com/

2) Inconsistent link references throughout the site.

• http://www.example.com/page/
• http://www.example.com/page/home.htm
• http://www.example.com/page/index.htm

3) Different navigation paths.

• http://www.example.com/Samples/Browse/Things/Big/Small/index.php
• http://www.example.com/Samples/Browse/Things/Small/Big/index.php

4) Different sort orders.

• http://www.example.com/Samples/Browse/Things/Big/Small/index.php
• http://www.example.com/Samples/Browse/Things/Big/Small/index.php?sortby=rating

5) Printable versions of pages being accessible by the search engines.

6) Additional marketing domains that are not properly redirecting to the main website.

7) Different urls that are used to display various elements on the page.

Re-naming urls without deleting or properly implementing redirection rules.

Some ways to address duplicate content include redirecting multiple domains to the preferred or “canonical” version, using the canonical link tag, restricting access in your robots.txt file, etc. The best situation is of course a site that doesn’t create duplicate content in the first place. However, if you do have an existing site creating duplicate content, be sure that you utilize some of these handy work-arounds.

If you have a local business, one component of search engine marketing that shouldn’t be overlooked is local search – in particular, Google Maps. With over 70% of the market share (Hitwise, March 2009), Google is the place where many people go when looking for local businesses. Also, as you may have noticed, when you perform a search with a location specified in the search query (i.e. “Florist NY”), listings from Google Maps will often appear at the top of the search results page.

So, how do you get your business on Google Maps? Your listing may already be there, but if not, you can add a business listing through Google’s Local Business Center (LBC). Even if your listing is already there, you should claim it.  This will enable you to update or add additional information that may be pertinent to searchers.  Through this listing, you can inform your potential customers about things such as business hours, payment types as well as provide photos, videos, and coupons.  The great news is that being listed here is free!

Additionally, Google’s LBC launched a dashboard earlier this year that provides business owners with additional data including the number of times your listing appeared on a Google.com search or Google Maps, the level of interaction viewers had with your listing (requesting directions, clicking on links within your listing, etc.), the search queries that triggered your listing to appear, and even the zip codes of where visitors to your location are coming from when they request directions.

As a local business owner, you should take advantage of the data that Google’s products can provide. This includes not only the LBC data, but also from other resources and tools such as Google Analytics and AdWords. 

We may not be thrilled all of the time with the search results that Google, or any search engine displays. However, who are we to blame for poor results?  What if the pages that are listed reflect poorly on your company or brand?  What if the content has the potential to deter customers or prospects?  Who should be responsible for this content? Should Google be to blame?  A recent case involving London-based Metropolitan International Schools (MIS) may have set the standard for potential cases that arise against search engines in the future. 

MIS tried to sue Google UK and Google, Inc. for the defamatory comments and complaints posted to an online forum about the company.  What is interesting, and very true, is the following statement:

“When a snippet is thrown up on the user’s screen in response to his search, it points him in the direction of an entry somewhere on the Web that corresponds, to a greater or lesser extent, to the search terms he has typed in,” Justice David Eady said. “It is for him to access or not, as he chooses. [Google] has merely, by the provision of its search service, played the role of a facilitator.”

This instance makes us reflect not only on our online reputation, but also on how the search results truly are simply an amalgamation of content that is relevant to a specific keyword that was searched. So, if Google’s not to blame for the results, who is?

The verdict is that if someone feels they have been offended or harmed in some way by content that Google is indexing, they should address their concern to the person who wrote and published the material. Google is not a publisher of content. Google is only a tool to bring a variety of relevant information to the searcher.

Keeping online reputation management in mind, there are things that you can do to help maximize the real estate on the search results pages with content that you have greater control over.  First, ensure that your website is optimized for search.  You want to be able to reserve those top two links for your own website’s listings.  Also, look to social media. Social media profiles, including LinkedIn company pages, Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, and YouTube channels all have the potential to rank well for brand name search queries.  So while you may not be able to control everything that is said on the internet, be sure to maximize the presence of pages where you do have a bit more control.  This will enable you to own more space than the listings that one website can cover. This not only helps with branding, but it can also build a positive impression of your brand by providing places for you to host compelling and engaging content for searchers to find.