Search Off the Record Handling Dupes - Same Same or Different?
9 snips
Dec 5, 2024 Allan Scott, a seasoned software engineer at Google specializing in duplicate detection, joins the discussion. He sheds light on the complexities of duplicate content in search, including clustering and canonicalization. The conversation dives into the challenges of conflicting signals between HTTP and HTTPS, and the critical role of the rel canonical tag. Allan also addresses localization strategies and the importance of accurate hreflang implementations. Finally, he tackles common web crawling issues, emphasizing teamwork to enhance search engine performance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Canonicalization Is Not Enough
- Allan Scott dislikes the term "canonicalization" because it oversimplifies a multifaceted process.
- He prefers focusing on distinct steps like clustering and canonical selection.
Clustering vs. Canonicalization
- Clustering groups similar pages, while canonicalization selects the best representative.
- Rel=canonical influences both clustering and canonical selection.
Regional Near-Duplicates
- Websites with regional near-duplicates, like German and Swiss product pages, pose challenges.
- Despite using hreflang, the canonical choice can change, impacting Search Console reports.