How to handle duplicate content in Drupal?

@dorothea 

Handling duplicate content in Drupal is important for maintaining a clean and efficient site, as well as avoiding potential SEO issues. Here are several strategies you can employ to manage duplicate content effectively:

1. Canonical URLs: Use the Canonical URL module to specify the preferred version of a page when you have similar or duplicate content available through different URLs. This tells search engines which version to index.
2. Global Redirect Module: Install the Global Redirect module, which works alongside the Pathauto module. It ensures that users are redirected to clean URLs and prevents access to duplicate URLs by redirecting them to a canonical version.
3. Pathauto Module: Use the Pathauto module to create custom URL patterns and consistently generate clean URLs automatically. This reduces the chance of duplication and improves URL consistency.
4. URL Redirects: Use the Redirect module to manually set up redirects from unwanted duplicate pages to preferred pages. This can help consolidate page authority and user traffic.
5. Taxonomy and Content Organization: Be mindful when using taxonomy and content types. Ensure clear hierarchies and avoid creating unnecessary duplicate content types or taxonomy terms.
6. Review Menu Structures: Review your menu settings to ensure they are not creating duplicate paths to the same content. Proper menu configuration can prevent duplicate access points.
7. Noindex Meta Tags: For pages that are necessary for user navigation but not important to search engines (e.g., filtered pages), use modules that help you add noindex meta tags. The Metatag module can be useful here.
8. Content Audits: Regularly perform content audits to identify and address duplicate content issues. This includes reviewing old content and consolidating or updating it as necessary.
9. XML Sitemaps Module: Use the XML Sitemaps module to control which content is included in your sitemap. By excluding duplicate content, you decrease the chances of it being indexed by search engines.
10. Disable Unnecessary Modules or Features: Some modules or settings may inadvertently create duplicate content (e.g., print-friendly pages, taxonomy term pages). Disable or configure them to avoid duplication.

Implementing these practices can significantly reduce duplicate content issues in Drupal, helping improve your site’s SEO and user experience.