How to fix duplicate content in Shopify?

@annabell_mcdermott 

Dealing with duplicate content in Shopify can be important for SEO and the overall user experience. Here’s a guide to help you address this issue:

1. Canonical Tags: Shopify automatically adds canonical tags to product pages to indicate the preferred version of a page to search engines. Ensure this feature is active, as it helps prevent duplicate content issues.
2. Unique Descriptions: Ensure each product and collection description is unique. Avoid using manufacturer descriptions or repeated content across different products.
3. Title and Meta Tags: Customize title tags and meta descriptions. Provide unique and relevant tags for each page to help differentiate them in search engines.
4. URL Structure: Shopify sometimes creates duplicate content by allowing multiple URL paths to the same product (e.g., accessing a product via its collection URL). Use the canonical tag to specify the preferred path. Avoid changing URLs frequently, but if necessary, use 301 redirects to guide traffic to the correct page.
5. Noindex Tag for Non-Essential Pages: Consider using the ‘noindex’ tag to prevent non-essential or less valuable pages (like tag pages) from being indexed by search engines.
6. Product Variants: If you have similar products with slight variations, use product variants through Shopify instead of creating separate product pages for each one.
7. Manage Pagination: If you have paginated collections, ensure to implement rel=“next” and rel=“prev” tags to indicate the relationship between pages in a sequence.
8. Apps and Plug-ins: Consider using SEO apps from the Shopify App Store that help manage duplicate content and optimize your site’s SEO (e.g., SEO Manager, Plug in SEO).
9. Internal Linking: Ensure a consistent internal linking structure that doesn’t accidentally promote duplicate URLs. Stick to a standard link structure across your site.
10. Review Sales Channels and External Links: Analyze how your products are being showcased on other sales channels and ensure they link back to the primary version of your product page.

Addressing these aspects can help reduce or eliminate duplicate content on your Shopify store, enhancing both user experience and SEO performance.