HubSpot's SEO Tool: Fix Duplicate Content Issues on Blog Listing Pages

We do a lot of work on technical SEO issues using HubSpot's SEO Tool and a common issue is duplicate content in blogs - specifically blog tag listing pages. This happens if your blog content isn't very deep or if your posts share a lot of the same tags. Don't worry though, the potential fix is as easy as waiting (how easy is that!?) or inserting a short code snippet!

tl:dr: Demo video at the bottom!

What is Duplicate Content?

Essentially, it means that identical or very similar content is accessible from more than one URL on your site. Search engines take the perspective that there's no reason for content to be duplicated on your site because users aren't interested in the same content on multiple pages. Makes sense, right?

Why does this happen?

In the instance where we see the duplicate content issue related to HubSpot blog listing pages, this happens because of a few different things:

1. HubSpot recommends that the canonical URL setting for blog listing pages in the SEO & Crawlers tab be set to "Don't add canonical URLs to any blog listing pages". This makes sense but there are unintended consequences with this.

2. If your blog doesn't have much content yet or your posts share a lot of the same tags, then the content across your tag listing pages will be very similar.

How can we fix the Duplicate Content Issue?

The Organic Fix

You could just wait this out. If you're strategically building out your blog content and applying tags, this issue will eventually fix itself as you write more posts.

The "Force" Fix

You can use some custom HubL (HubSpot's templating language) to fix this issue immediately if it's a concern. The following snippet can be placed in the head section of your html file - ideally right below the other meta tags.

{% if is_listing_view %}
{% set blog_url = group.absolute_url %}
<link rel="canonical" href="{{ blog_url }}">
{% endif %}

Pros and Cons

As expected, there are pros and cons to implementing the "force" fix and ultimately it's a decision you'll need to weigh but here's a few points to consider:

The Organic Fix

Pros:

1. No Immediate Action Required: You don’t need to make any changes to your site right away. Just continue creating high-quality content and the issue will resolve itself over time.
2. Long-Term Solution: Building out more diverse and deep content will naturally reduce duplicate content issues as you have more unique pages.
3. No Risk of Misconfiguration: By waiting, you avoid the risk of misconfiguring canonical tags or other SEO elements.

Cons:

1. Slow Resolution: The duplicate content issue might persist for a longer period, potentially affecting your SEO and user experience in the meantime.
2. Ongoing Risk: If you don’t actively manage the content and tags, duplicate content issues might continue to arise as new posts are added.

The "Force" Fix

Pros:

1. Immediate Resolution: Implementing the HubL snippet quickly addresses the duplicate content issue and helps maintain SEO health.
2. Controlled Solution: Allows you to control how canonical tags are applied and ensures that search engines understand which pages are the primary versions.
3. Customizable: The snippet can be adapted to fit specific needs or address particular issues on your site.

Cons:

1. Potential for Misconfiguration: Incorrectly implementing the HubL snippet could lead to other SEO issues, such as pointing all tag pages to the wrong canonical URL.
2. Temporary Fix: If not managed properly, the fix might need adjustments as your content strategy evolves or as HubSpot updates its platform.

Conclusion

Choosing between the organic fix and the "force" fix depends on your current content strategy and how urgently you need to address the duplicate content issue. The organic fix is ideal if you have a long-term content strategy in place and can wait for the issue to resolve itself naturally. On the other hand, the "force" fix provides a quicker solution if you need immediate results or are dealing with significant SEO concerns.

For a visual walkthrough of these solutions, check out the demo video below.

For more info on HubSpot's SEO Tool and recommendations, see our post Learn How to Leverage HubSpot's SEO Tool and Google PageSpeed Insights

How-to Implement Demo Video!

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