Firstly, what do we mean by the term duplicate content? The web savvy will no doubt be familiar with the term and understand the impact it can have on your website optimisation campaign. But what about the SEO novices ? The last thing you want to do is invest heavily in a website, only for your website optimisation efforts to be hampered by duplicate content.

Duplicate content is content which appears on more than one web page or URL. The problem arises when the search engines attempt to index the site, as they are unable to decipher which version of the text is most relevant to a given search query. This is a real flaw in any website optimisation strategy, as, in an attempt to show only the most relevant search results, search engines rarely show multiple, duplicated pieces of content. As a result, they are forced to determine which piece is most likely to be original, which is far from a simple process.

So exactly why does duplicate content cause the search engines so much trouble, and ultimately undermine your website optimisation strategy?

• Search engines are unsure which version of the content is the original, and as such it is difficult to determine which to index and display in search results.
• Search engines are unable to determine whether to directly link metrics such as trust, authority, anchor text etc to one page, or to separate it between multiple versions.
• Further difficulties are posed when search engines decide which version of the content to rank for search results.

Okay, so duplicate content is not good for an organisation’s website optimisation campaign for the above reasons. But what types of duplicate content issues can arise?

• Printer-friendly versions – versions of content which are printer friendly are more likely to cause duplicate content issues when multiple versions of pages are indexed due to the duplicate content present.
• URL parameters – some URL parameters such as click tracking as well as certain analytics codes may cause issues with duplicate content.
• Session IDs – this is one of the most frequent causes of duplicate content issues and can undermine even the most comprehensive website optimisation campaign. Problems occur when each user visiting a website is assigned a different session ID which is stored in the URL.

If you are confused about any further issues with duplicate content then contact Designer Websites, the website optimisation specialists. Call us on 0845 272 6813 today.  

We first developed a website for modelmakers back in 2008, at which point we concentrated on getting the website highly ranked within the search engines for terms like architectural model makers, exhibition models, fibreglass models and various other keywords. The site took a little while to get high positions but not outranks all competition and has been on page 1, in positions 1 to 3, for a couple of years now. Having achieved the ultimate goal Steve the owner now wanted to bring the style of the website up to date so that we could not only drive the traffic to the site but also impress the potential clients with an attractive and informative website. The latest version on the modelmakers website can be found here: Modelmakers.

This new website for Modelmakers also includes a blog, which allows the company to show off their model making skills, and gives them the flexibility to add new content anytime they want.

Recent research carried out by the digital edition of The Grocer magazine, has shown the website SEO of the leading supermarkets is a long way from where it should be, leaving some of the biggest names in British retail virtually invisible online.

One of the main offenders is Waitrose.com, which, after a £10million initial investment in their ecommerce website, is nowhere to be seen on the search engines for some key terms. 

The website SEO on Waitrose’s site is so poor that even Morrisons, which at present doesn’t even operate an ecommerce site, currently ranks higher.

The site is being held back by a number of technical issues you would not expect from a £10million ecommerce website. However, it is not only Waitrose who are falling behind on their website SEO.

Having looked closely at a range of website SEO factors which determine the visibility of websites on search engines such as Google, a leading digital agency found Waitrose, Ocado and the big four supermarkets were all underperforming, leaving other retailers such as Amazon to clear up in certain markets.

Simon Hall, retail manager at Google UK, said: “The supermarkets all need to improve – they’re just not getting the exposure they should. If they were to describe their content with more relevant items – such as recipes – then they would win a lot more business online.”

The proof is in the pudding and for the five most popularly searched recipes online: chocolate cake, cup cakes, Yorkshire pudding, pancakes and sloe gin, no supermarket ranked anywhere near the top ten, leaving other retailers that are more focused on their website SEO to clear up.

In a letter to The Grocer, one customer clearly expressed their discontent at the shortcomings of the Waitrose website SEO: “It’s time the operations director stepped in and sorts out this very expensive mess!”

Here at Designer Websites we put years of technical know-how and experience into our website SEO service, ensuring your site is search engine friendly and highly visible to your customers.

Website optimisation is one part of your internet marketing strategy which can never stand still. Constant tweaks and alterations to the algorithms used by the most popular search engines ensure website optimisation specialists like the team here at Designer Websites are constantly having to adapt and learn in order to offer the highest calibre service.

On-site SEO
Website optimisation is a far more complicated process than simply placing keywords in the correct places on your website copy. For the process to truly perform, it is essential your website is built from the ground up with website optimisation in mind. From the earliest stages of website development, it is important every element is geared towards the same goal. This will ensure your site has every chance of appearing at the top of the search engine rankings for your chosen keywords.

The answer to the question ‘how to SEO’ is a staged process involving many different website optimisation techniques as well as a technical approach to website design at the earliest instance.

Keyword analysis – this process lays down the very foundations of your website optimisation strategy. Many companies can make or break their entire online strategy by choosing keywords which do not attract a significant search volume. Time should be taken to conduct thorough research to establish the exact search traffic and competition figures.

Keyword inclusion – once the keywords are chosen they need to be strategically placed in the right areas. This includes the title tag, meta description, page heading, body copy and internal links. Placement is not the only consideration at this stage, it is also important the density of keywords falls within the appropriate bands.

URL rewriting – a key feature of website optimisation is a readable and relevant URL. Length is important and a guideline of about three to five words should be followed as the weighting of each word beyond this limit is reduced. Recent research has shown short URLs within Google are clicked twice as often as longer URLs. Short URLs will help towards improved rankings and clickthrough rate.

Coding – it may be called on-site SEO but its what is on the inside they counts too. Standards compliant coding ensures the search engine bots are able to index your website quickly and easily, it will also ensure that your website will be cross-browser compatible. Getting your code right is important too, because messy or outdated coding can cause websites to load slowly which will result in poor rankings.

Link building – building up trust within the search engines can be done by securing relevant, good quality links from related websites. This shows your website is one respected by the industry in which you operate, helping you to climb further up the rankings.

SEO copywriting – creating text which appeals to customers as well as the search engines is a careful balancing act between keyword inclusion and readability. The copy on web pages, blog posts, news pieces and articles will all contribute to your search engine rankings as long as the correct keywords are used at an appropriate density.

Optimised website hosting – providing very fast and reliable website hosting is absolutely essential to a well optimised website, otherwise all of your other SEO efforts will have been in vain. Correct error handling procedures and redirecting are also really important. You either need a dedicated web server or at least a host who has a dedicated server and holds fewer than 50 websites on it themselves.

When considering how to SEO the above is simply a pointer. Website optimisation is a varied and constantly evolving process which requires the expertise of knowledgeable SEO practitioners. Here at Designer Websites, the wealth of experience we have built up ensures we understand the technical aspects of website optimisation better than anyone else.

For further information about on-site SEO, please do not hesitate to call our friendly team on 0845 272 6813. 

The first and most important stage of any website SEO campaign is the keyword research. If your keyword research is flawed and you identify words which are either too competitive for your budget, or which don’t attract a high enough search volume, you will effectively be fighting a losing battle from the start. Some companies will make the mistake of determining their keywords without carrying out any research. Considering how quickly keyword research can be carried out, this can prove to be an incredibly costly mistake. You may think you know your industry inside and out, but it is likely you will not think of the products and services you offer in the same way as your customers. It is possible to spend thousands on website SEO which targets keywords that there is absolutely no market for, and in so doing miss out on those little niches which can bring you some easy gains.

Long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are usually those which represent niches in the market. So where as the most obvious keywords which will be the most searched for but also the most competitive, a good long-tail keyword will still attract a good search volume, but with far less competition to battle against. If you operate as a florist then if your website SEO targets highly competitive keywords like ‘florist’, or ‘buy flowers online’, then you will find yourself competing against some of the biggest names in your industry, and may not feature until around page 20 of Google, even after a long-term website SEO campaign. Alternatively, as a smaller retailer it would make much more sense to target a niche with a long-tail keyword, which may not have quite the same search volume, but will make you show up on page one rather than page 15 and will consequently experience far greater traffic.

Identifying niches
Niches can often be identified by long-tail keywords i.e. those including two or more words. These usually identify users who are already knowledgeable about a particular product or service and are further through the decision making process. By targeting these words you are far more likely to find consumers who are ready to make a purchase. Broader keywords are used by searchers at the very beginning of the decision making process and are more likely to be carrying out a bit of research rather than being ready to make a purchase. In the case of our florist, a long-tail keyword like ‘mother’s day flower bouquet’ is likely to be far more profitable in the early days of a website SEO campaign than a broad keyword like ‘florist’.

But remember – there’s more than one way to skin a cat!
A good SEO website campaign will have a mixture of broad keywords as long-term aims with long tail keywords providing the quick wins along the way.

For further information on long-tail keywords and other website SEO techniques, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly website SEO team here at Designer Websites.