The issue: If your free audit has flagged technically duplicate URLs, you’re dealing with a duplication issue that can impact your site’s performance.
But what does this mean, why does it happen, and how can you address it? Let’s break it down step by step.
What Are Technically Duplicate URLs?
Technically duplicate URLs are URLs that look different but lead to the exact same content.
Common examples include:
URLs that differ only in case:
https://example.com/page/https://example.com/Page/
URLs with the same query string parameters, but in a different order:
https://example.com/page/?a=1&b=2https://example.com/page/?b=2&a=1
To a human, these URLs seem functionally identical, but to search engines, they’re treated as separate entities unless managed properly.
Why Does This Matter?
1. Wasted Crawl Budget
Search engine crawlers have a finite amount of resources to allocate to your site.
If they spend time crawling duplicate URLs, they might not reach your important pages.
2. Diluted Ranking Signals
Duplicate URLs split ranking signals like backlinks and engagement metrics across multiple versions, reducing the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.
3. Risk of Quality Algorithm Penalties
If duplicates appear in large numbers, it can be seen as a low-quality signal.
This might trigger search engine algorithms (e.g., Google’s Panda), which could reduce your site’s organic visibility.
Why Does This Happen In The First Place?
There are a few common reasons for technically duplicate URLs appearing:
- Query String Variations: Dynamic pages (like search results or filters) often generate URLs with query strings that can be reordered.
- Case Sensitivity: Some servers treat
/page/and/Page/as different URLs, creating duplication. - Poorly Configured Scripts: Scripts generating URLs may create unnecessary duplicates due to coding errors or a lack of constraints.
Next Steps: How to Resolve Technically Duplicate URLs
If your audit has identified technically duplicate URLs, here’s what to do next:
1. Assess the Scale of the Issue
Start by evaluating how many URLs are affected.
If it’s only a few, it’s likely not a significant problem.
If duplicates are widespread, prioritise fixing them to prevent further issues.
2. Fix Query String Variations
For duplicate URLs caused by query strings, work with a developer to:
- Adjust the scripts generating these URLs to produce a single canonical version.
- Avoid relying solely on redirects or canonical tags, as these are temporary fixes that won’t address the root cause.
3. Resolve Case Sensitivity Issues
For duplicates caused by case variations:
- Remove internal links to URLs with uppercase characters to prevent them from being crawled.
- Implement a 301 redirect to the lowercase version as the primary fix.
- If redirects aren’t feasible, use canonical tags as a fallback to indicate the preferred version.
4. Implement Preventative Measures
Once fixed, ensure these issues don’t reappear by:
- Establishing URL standards (e.g., all lowercase URLs).
- Configuring your server to enforce consistent URL structure.
- Using tools to monitor and address any new duplicates.
Wrapping Up
While fixing a handful of duplicates may seem unnecessary, leaving these issues unchecked can lead to significant problems if duplicates scale up.
Your audit has already flagged the problem—now it’s time to clean up the mess and strengthen your site’s SEO foundation.