undefined
Skip to content
Moz logo Menu open Menu close
  • Products
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Pro Home
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Home
    • STAT
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Home
    • Compare SEO Products
    • Moz Data
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis
    • Keyword Explorer
    • Link Explorer
    • Competitive Research
    • MozBar
    • More Free SEO Tools
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
    • SEO Learning Center
    • Moz Academy
    • SEO Q&A
    • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Agency Solutions
    • Enterprise Solutions
    • Small Business Solutions
    • Case Studies
    • The Moz Story
    • New Releases
  • Log in
  • Log out
  • Products
    • Moz Pro

      Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

    • Moz Local

      Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

    • STAT

      SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

    • Moz API

      Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

    • Compare SEO Products

      See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

    • Moz Data

      Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis

      Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

    • Keyword Explorer

      Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

    • Link Explorer

      Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

    • Competitive Research

      Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

    • MozBar

      See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

    • More Free SEO Tools

      Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO

      The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

    • SEO Learning Center

      Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

    • On-Demand Webinars

      Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

    • How-To Guides

      Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

    • Moz Academy

      Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

    • MozCon

      Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
    Moz API

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

    Find your plan
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Small Business Solutions

      Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

    • Agency Solutions

      Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

    • Enterprise Solutions

      Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

    • The Moz Story

      Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

    • Case Studies

      Explore how Moz drives ROI with a proven track record of success.

    • New Releases

      Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

    Surface actionable competitive intel
    New Feature

    Surface actionable competitive intel

    Learn More
  • Log in
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Dashboard
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Dashboard
    • Moz Academy
  • Avatar
    • Moz Home
    • Notifications
    • Account & Billing
    • Manage Users
    • Community Profile
    • My Q&A
    • My Videos
    • Log Out

The Moz Q&A Forum

  • Forum
  • Questions
  • Users
  • Ask the Community

Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

  1. Home
  2. SEO Tactics
  3. International SEO
  4. How to fix the duplicate content problem on different domains (.nl /.be) of your brand's websites in multiple countries?

Moz Q&A is closed.

After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

How to fix the duplicate content problem on different domains (.nl /.be) of your brand's websites in multiple countries?

International SEO
3
10
8.2k
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as question
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
  • HMK-NL
    HMK-NL last edited by Oct 2, 2012, 8:14 AM

    Dear all,

    what is the best way to fix the duplicate content problem on different domains (.nl /.be) of your brand's websites in multiple countries?

    What must I add to my code of websites my .nl domain to avoid duplicate content and to keep the .nl website out of google.be, but still well-indexed in google.nl?

    What must I add to my code of websites my .be domain to avoid duplicate content and to keep the .nl website out of google.be, but still well-indexed in google.nl?

    Thanks in advance!

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
    • Maxoulala
      Maxoulala @Maxoulala last edited by Oct 3, 2012, 10:49 AM Oct 3, 2012, 10:49 AM

      In that case, I'll go for the Alternate link tag as mentionned before:

      By using it, you will guide Google and tell him to show the flemish version in first position for your user in Belgium and vice-versa for the dutch users in Holland.

      Hope this helps!

      Maxime

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • HMK-NL
        HMK-NL @Maxoulala last edited by Oct 3, 2012, 10:37 AM Oct 3, 2012, 10:37 AM

        Dear Maxime,

        there texts and content are pretty much the same / identical. Maybe there are some slight textual differences since Flemish and Dutch are different sometimes.

        Overall, all content is nearly the same.

        Thanks for both of your help!

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Maxoulala
          Maxoulala @HMK-NL last edited by Oct 3, 2012, 10:24 AM Oct 3, 2012, 10:24 AM

          BenVer,

          Please can you tell us what kind of duplicate content do you have on your different domains (.nl /.be) ?

          Are the dutch and belgium page exactly the same? What are the differences?

          Thanks,

          Maxime

          HMK-NL Maxoulala 2 Replies Last reply Oct 3, 2012, 10:49 AM Reply Quote 0
          • RobertFisher
            RobertFisher @RobertFisher last edited by Oct 3, 2012, 9:44 AM Oct 3, 2012, 9:42 AM

            Maxime,

            I saw this too, and there are certainly variants. Given, that for Google I have generally used WMT as the final source and usually that worked, I lean a bit more that way. But, your point is well stated and not wrong. For purposes of being absolutely safe, it will not hurt to have the hreflang attribute there. A better question might be: is it really necessary given the you have ccTLD's and the same language?

            From WMT:

            Some example scenarios where rel="alternate" hreflang="x" is recommended:

            • You translate only the template of your page, such as the navigation and footer, and keep the main content in a single language. This is common on pages that feature user-generated content, like a forum post.
            • Your pages have broadly similar content within a single language, but the content has small regional variations. For example, you might have English-language content targeted at readers in the US, GB, and Ireland.
            • Your site content is fully translated. For example, you have both German and English versions of each page.

            I will assume that it is a given that google uses the ccTLD as the indicator of country and that it is considered a "Strong" signal to Google.

            WIthin GWMT re: multilingual/regional sites (the bolded/italics are mine😞

            Websites that provide content for different regions and in different languages sometimes create content that is the same or similar but available on different URLs. This is generally not a problem as long as the content is for different users in different countries. While we strongly recommend that you provide unique content for each different group of users, we understand that this may not always be possible. There is generally no need to "hide" the duplicates by disallowing crawling in a robots.txt file or by using a "noindex" robots meta tag. However, if you're providing the same content to the same users on different URLs (for instance, if both __example.de/ and example.com/de/ show German language content for users in Germany), you should pick a preferred version and redirect (or use the rel=canonical link element) appropriately. In addition, you should follow the guidelines on rel-alternate-hreflang to make sure that the correct language or regional URL is served to searchers.

            Again, thanks for the replies. I find it really helpful to discuss back and forth as it adds to the learning adventure we are all on.

            Best to you,

            Robert

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • RobertFisher
              RobertFisher @RobertFisher last edited by Oct 2, 2012, 7:51 PM Oct 2, 2012, 7:51 PM

              Maxime,

              While I agree the speed might be different with in country hosting given they are both European countries. (Not true in some others.) But the question was around content duplication.

              Again, I think your intent is good. But, since he has two separate domains. ExampleSite.be and ExampleSite.nl, he has no need of hreflang="x" since both are in Dutch. If he had Dutch and English it would not matter if it were the same domain or not:
              From Gianluca Fiorelli mozPost

              **if Page A (US version) exists also in Page B (Spanish), C (French), and D (German) versions from other countires, no matter if they are in the same domain or different, then on page A you should suggest the last three URLs as the ones Google must show in the SERPs in their respective targeted Googles. **

              Again, since they are ccTLD's and they are already geotargeted by virtue of same and since they are both in Dutch, there is no other worry re duplicate content.

              I am open to being shown I am wrong as it will not be the first time 😉

              Best to you, thanks so much for your replies,

              Robert

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • Maxoulala
                Maxoulala @RobertFisher last edited by Oct 2, 2012, 11:03 AM Oct 2, 2012, 11:03 AM

                Hi Robert, 1. Yes indeed you are right, for a ccTLD, there is no geotargeting in GWMT. 2. Dutch is spoken in both Netherlands and Belgium so having the same content appearing on both .nl and .be domains is likely to be considered as duplicate content. Using rel=”alternate” hreflang=”x” seems to be the most appropriate solution. 3. In my opinion, hosting each website in the country targeted is a plus (server response will be quicker) but this is indeed not decisive. So do it only if you have a large budget.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • RobertFisher
                  RobertFisher last edited by Oct 2, 2012, 10:30 AM Oct 2, 2012, 10:30 AM

                  Maxime,

                  I have to question this as you have it. The intent is there, but you are throwing everything at a problem and some of it does not work:

                  1. for a ccTLD, there is no geotargeting in WMT: from GWMT:

                  Sites with country-coded top-level domains (such as .ie) are already associated with a geographic region, in this case Ireland. In this case, you won't be able to specify a geographic location.

                  2. He does not need this in a cross domain setting.

                  3. Given he has ccTLD's this is an unnecessary expense and will add no value.

                  Hope this clarifies for you,

                  Maxoulala RobertFisher 3 Replies Last reply Oct 3, 2012, 9:42 AM Reply Quote 0
                  • RobertFisher
                    RobertFisher last edited by Oct 2, 2012, 9:30 AM Oct 2, 2012, 9:30 AM

                    BenVer

                    In a short answer, not much. This is from GWMT:

                    Websites that provide content for different regions and in different languages sometimes create content that is the same or similar but available on different URLs. This is generally not a problem as long as the content is for different users in different countries.

                    Since you are using ccTLD's, Google already knows that you are targeting that specific country. 

                    While this will not guarantee that the .nl doesn't outrank the .be in Belgium, it will take care of your duplicate content concerns.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • HMK-NL
                      HMK-NL last edited by Oct 2, 2012, 8:24 AM Oct 2, 2012, 8:24 AM

                      Is this the best way?

                      http://googleproducts-nl.blogspot.nl/2012/02/meertalige-en-multiregionale-websites.html

                      Maxoulala 1 Reply Last reply Oct 3, 2012, 10:24 AM Reply Quote 0
                      • 1 / 1
                      1 out of 10
                      • First post
                        1/10
                        Last post

                      Got a burning SEO question?

                      Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                      Start my free trial


                      Browse Questions

                      Explore more categories

                      • Moz Tools

                        Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                      • SEO Tactics

                        Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                      • Community

                        Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                      • Digital Marketing

                        Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                      • Research & Trends

                        Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                      • Support

                        Connect on product support and feature requests.

                      • See all categories

                      Related Questions

                      • TechWyse

                        Sitelinks in multiple language

                        Hello ! In a french browser & french Google interface with no browsing history, I have the french version of my website indexed, but the site links coming along with it are in English ! Is there any way to combat this? Note - we use a 302 language re-direction. See screenshot here: http://bit.ly/25kViB0

                        International SEO | Jun 1, 2016, 5:10 PM | TechWyse
                        0
                      • peeveezee

                        Where is it appropriate to use a .eu domain?

                        My client, a UK company, has a .eu domain and want to rank primarily in the UK but also worldwide, is a .eu domain appropriate?

                        International SEO | Jul 22, 2015, 1:02 PM | peeveezee
                        0
                      • Fisken

                        Two versions of a website with different languages - Best way to do it?

                        I'm working on a website for a Swedish artist and her page is in Swedish, everything is in Swedish on the site, even though it's not a lot of text on the site. We would like to have the site in English too, or another version of the site in English on a separate domain, what's the best way to proceed from here? The domain name is a .se (swedish domain), would it be better to create a another domain and host the english version of the site on a .com domain? Or will we bump into problems with duplicate content if we create a replica of the swedish site in english. We're using wordpress and I know that there's translation plugins out there, is that a good option? I'm a bit clueless on how to proceed and would love some help or guidance here.

                        International SEO | Aug 2, 2014, 11:47 AM | Fisken
                        0
                      • ramarketing

                        Sub-domains or sub-directories for country-specific versions of the site?

                        What approach do you think would be better from an SEO perspective when creating country-targeted versions for an eCommerce site (all in the same language with slight regional changes) - sub-domains or sub-directories? Is any of the approaches more cost effective, web development-wise? I know this topic's been under much debate and I would really like to hear your opinion. Many thanks!

                        International SEO | Aug 12, 2013, 5:11 AM | ramarketing
                        0
                      • AdrienOLeary

                        Should product-pages with different currencies have different URLs?

                        Here is a question that should be of interest for small online merchants selling internationally in multiple currencies. When, based on geolocation, a product-page is served with different currencies, should a product-page have a different URL for each currency? Thanks.

                        International SEO | Sep 13, 2012, 2:20 PM | AdrienOLeary
                        0
                      • KevinDunne

                        Best domain for spanish language site targeting ALL spanish territories?

                        hi, we're have a strong .com domain and are looking to launch a site for spanish speakers (ie latin america + spain). we already have various subdirectories for some foreign language sites (eg. ourdomain.co.uk, us.ourdomain.com, ca.ourdomain.com, ourdomainchina.com, ourdomainindia.com etc) we already have a B2B site ourdomain.com-es which will remain the same. I'm thinking best practice would be to launch translated copy for the following: ourdomain.com/es ourdomain.com/cl ourdomain.com/mx ourdomain.com/pt etc etc firstly is this the best option? secondly, i'm really interested to hear whether there is a less time/resource intensive route that would give us visibility in ALL spanish speaking territories? Also - if we go with just one of the above (eg ourdomain.com/cl) how likely are we to get traction in other spanish speaking territories? any help much appreciated!

                        International SEO | Aug 3, 2012, 9:10 AM | KevinDunne
                        0
                      • Dennis-52961

                        How can I see what my web site looks like from a different country?

                        I've tried a few proxy tools to try to see how my site looks from other global locations, but haven't found one that works very well yet -- or a list of reliable proxies around the world. I need to do this to test various geo-targetted ads and other optimizations. Can anyone make a recommendation? Thanks!

                        International SEO | Oct 25, 2011, 7:55 AM | Dennis-52961
                        0
                      • gomyseo

                        Country specific landing pages

                        I have a client who wants to put a re-direct on his landing pages based on the visitors IP address. The landing page will be a sub domain relevant to the country their IP is located in. I am a little concerned this will effect the SEO. Appreciate any advice. Dylan 🙂

                        International SEO | Jul 21, 2011, 2:06 PM | gomyseo
                        0

                      Get started with Moz Pro!

                      Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                      Start my free trial
                      Products
                      • Moz Pro
                      • Moz Local
                      • Moz API
                      • Moz Data
                      • STAT
                      • Product Updates
                      Moz Solutions
                      • SMB Solutions
                      • Agency Solutions
                      • Enterprise Solutions
                      Free SEO Tools
                      • Domain Authority Checker
                      • Link Explorer
                      • Keyword Explorer
                      • Competitive Research
                      • Brand Authority Checker
                      • Local Citation Checker
                      • MozBar Extension
                      • MozCast
                      Resources
                      • Blog
                      • SEO Learning Center
                      • Help Hub
                      • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                      • How-to Guides
                      • Moz Academy
                      • API Docs
                      About Moz
                      • About
                      • Team
                      • Careers
                      • Contact
                      Why Moz
                      • Case Studies
                      • Testimonials
                      Get Involved
                      • Become an Affiliate
                      • MozCon
                      • Webinars
                      • Practical Marketer Series
                      • MozPod
                      Connect with us

                      Contact the Help team

                      Join our newsletter
                      Moz logo
                      © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                      • Accessibility
                      • Terms of Use
                      • Privacy

                      Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.