Do any of the pros on the forum know anything about duplicate urls? I had an example on one of my sites where one page had a url of that ended in fort_benning_ga and also a url that ended in fort_benning_georgia. I created both urls for the same page accidentally and they were both linked from my index page. When I realized it I removed one of them and within 3 days after removing one of them my main keyword rank improved about 450 places (from #464 to #12). I took this as a google penalty that had been removed. The only way for me to prove it was to put the page back up but I didn't want to know that bad so I just left it off. That was the only significant thing I did. It could have somehow been coincidental but I don't think so. Does anyone have any evidence that I am right or wrong about this? Please let me know as this is very easy to do and I think it is important to know the correct answer. Wayne

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Wayne Long
Search all the Columbus Ga Homes for Sale listed in the Columbus MLS
as well as Fort Benning Real Estate and area info.
Check out the Columbus GA Real Estate and area info.

They weren't duplicate URLs... they were two unique URLs featuring duplicate content. Now that you removed one, you don't have dup content.

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---cK

CK Chung is an independent SEO consultant who provides premium Holistic SEO services, including services specific to Real Estate SEO. You can find his alter-ego, Kid Disco, spouting off on his SEO blog at SEOdisco.

Yes. I guess that is correct. This is exact duplicate content on the same site. My question is - do you think this would cause a significant penalty as I described?

My understanding is that dup content on different sites - while not rewarded - does not result in a stiff penalty of this type. Would exact dup content on the one site cause this kind of penalty?

Wayne

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Wayne Long
Search all the Columbus Ga Homes for Sale listed in the Columbus MLS
as well as Fort Benning Real Estate and area info.
Check out the Columbus GA Real Estate and area info.

Wayne - there's no such thing as a "duplicate content penalty". There is a duplicate content filter ... which might index only one of the 2 (or more) duplicate pages / articles, but there is no penalty.

If you don't believe this, read:

http://searchengineland.com/070315-100022.php

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Calgary Real Estate
Sarasota MLS
Calgary Luxury Real Estate

One of the pages has authority and one doesn't google has to pick one, and sometimes they pick wrong, thus they pick the low authority page and it doesn't rank well. Take away the dup, take away possibility to choose the wrong version of the content, and the higher authority one will be chosen each time.

I agree there is no duplicate content penalty, only imperfect filters that cause that perception occasionally.

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Want to save up to 50% off Real estate webmasters product websites & common upgrades? Check out my latest blog post regarding our end of the year sale.

God I hate reading Whalen's stuff ughhhhh

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Want to save up to 50% off Real estate webmasters product websites & common upgrades? Check out my latest blog post regarding our end of the year sale.

I hear that. I don't think she's done anything new since 2002.

__________________
---cK

CK Chung is an independent SEO consultant who provides premium Holistic SEO services, including services specific to Real Estate SEO. You can find his alter-ego, Kid Disco, spouting off on his SEO blog at SEOdisco.

Here's a better read, in my opinion:

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/the-illustrated-guide-to-duplicate-content-in-the-search-engines

__________________
---cK

CK Chung is an independent SEO consultant who provides premium Holistic SEO services, including services specific to Real Estate SEO. You can find his alter-ego, Kid Disco, spouting off on his SEO blog at SEOdisco.

Disco;

You are incorrect when you say she hasn't done anything since 2002...She still promotes HERSELF...(grin).

I choose not to read some people's stuff for exactly the reasons that Morgan suggests a) it pains me (especially her) b) (and my personal reason) I don't like their opinions to taint my testing (and I try to stay objective if possible). I do tend to read Rand's stuff and I like have fun reading J. Boykin as well. He cracks me up and has great entertainment value as well as content (GRIN)

Best;

Eric

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Eric Blackwell
Technologist, SEO Specialist and Consultant

Louisville Real Estate My Home Real Estate Site

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Boykin is kick ass, I have honestly never read anything he has written, but we hang out at least once a year in Either New York or Cali We always have a lot of fun, and he truly is a nice guy.

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Want to save up to 50% off Real estate webmasters product websites & common upgrades? Check out my latest blog post regarding our end of the year sale.