Finding copied or duplicated links on a website can be important for both website owners and SEO professionals. Duplicated content and links can potentially cause issues with search engine rankings, so it’s important to identify and fix them. Here are some tips on finding copied links on a website:
Use Site Search
Most websites have a built-in site search feature. This can be a quick way to find duplicated content and links. Simply search for unique phrases or sentences from pages on your site. If multiple pages show up in the search results, that indicates duplicated content.
Example Search Terms
- Unique sentences from important pages
- Specific keywords or phrases
- Titles from key pages
Review any duplicate pages found and consolidate or remove unnecessary copies.
Check Pages Manually
Browsing pages manually can also uncover copied links. Look for pages that link to the same external website multiple times. Pay attention to link anchor text – replicated anchor text phrases may indicate duplicated links. Example:
Page 1:
For more information on SEO, check out the Beginner’s Guide to SEO on Example SEO Website.
Page 2:
The Beginner’s Guide to SEO on Example SEO Website is a great resource.
In this case, “Beginner’s Guide to SEO on Example SEO Website” is duplicated anchor text pointing to the same page. This would likely need to be consolidated.
Use Site Audit Tools
There are a number of free and paid tools that can crawl a website and identify duplicate content and links. Some options include:
| Tool | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Screaming Frog | Crawls pages and highlights duplicate body text and anchor text. |
| Siteliner | Generates custom reports to identify copied content. |
| Copyscape | Scans pages for matches and duplicates. |
These tools can analyze both internal duplicates (within your own site) and external duplicates (copied from other sites). Most will also evaluate anchor text duplication.
Tips for Using Site Audit Tools
- Crawl the entire site for best results.
- Export reports to identify problem pages.
- Customize settings to find only duplicate links/content.
Check External Links Pointing to Your Site
Looking at external sites linking to your own can also reveal duplicate links. Use a backlink analysis tool to see all pages linking to your domain. Look for patterns like:
- Multiple low-quality sites linking with exact same anchor text
- Duplicate links from the same site/page
- Unnatural anchor text ratios (too much/little brand/keyword anchor text)
Tools like Ahrefs, Majestic, SEMrush and Moz can all provide this backlink data. Addressing unnatural link profiles can improve SEO.
External Backlink Audits
Regularly check backlinks to uncover issues including:
- Negative SEO attacks
- Unnatural link building
- Pages with multiple redirects
Check Image Properties
Images can sometimes be unintentionally duplicated on pages. Check image file names and properties to catch copies:
- Scan for images with identical file names
- Look for duplicate image titles, captions, alt text
- Review image properties – dimension, file size and more
Any exact property matches likely indicate reused images. Use unique titles, descriptions and filenames for all images.
Review Redirect Chains
Lengthy redirect chains can also hide duplicate content issues. Use a tool like Screaming Frog to identify pages redirecting multiple times. This may reveal:
- Circular redirects – Page A redirects to Page B, which redirects back to Page A
- Chained redirects – Page A redirects to Page B, which redirects to Page C
Simplify redirect chains as much as possible. Circular redirects in particular should be removed.
Check Cached Pages
Search engine cached pages can reveal duplicate content that may not be visible on your live site. Search for your important pages on Google and click “Cached” to view Google’s archived copy. Look for:
- Outdated content that has since changed on your site
- Copied content from other sites
- Pages blocked by robots.txt
Request cached page removal and updates through Google Search Console. This ensures search engines have the latest version of your pages.
Use Plagiarism Checkers
Plagiarism tools like Copyleaks, Plagiarisma and PlagScan can detect copied text from around the web. Check important site pages and posts for duplicated content. These tools help uncover:
- Copyright violations
- Scraped or stolen content
- Republished press releases
- Keyword stuffing
Address any issues exposed by plagiarism checkers. Unique, original content is a best practice.
Duplicate Content Within CMS
For sites using a CMS like WordPress or Drupal, duplicated content can also get created within the system. Look for:
- Identical pages or posts created multiple times
- Pages displaying category/tag/author archives
- Date archives and pagination creating near-duplicate pages
- Multiple similar versions of media like PDFs and images
Adjust CMS settings and remove unnecessary copies across the site. Use 301 redirects to consolidate content.
CMS Tips to Prevent Duplication
- Enable canonical URLs
- Noindex pagination pages
- Consolidate categories and tags
- Use nofollow on archive pages
Monitor New Pages
As new pages get added, duplication can sneak in. Routinely check latest content for issues like:
- Republished old posts
- Similar content published across sections
- Reused images and text snippets
Use plagiarism tools to scan new pages. Duplication is easier to catch early before it spreads.
Conclusion
Duplicate content and links can appear across a site in many forms. A combination of manual reviews, site audit tools, plagiarism checkers and backlink analysis provides a thorough assessment. Eliminate unnecessary duplication to improve website quality for users and search engines.