Affiliate links and parameters creating duplicate page titles
-
Hi, we have an affiliate system and use rel=**canonical **to canonicalise them to the right link. Still, we see those links creating duplicate page titles, in Moz crawl and in Google search console.
How are we supposed to treat those links so they do not create duplicate content? Thanks for your help!
-
How long ago did you implement canonicals to fix the issue? Its important to remember that a lot of SEO isn't about quick fixes. Some of these things will take weeks/months to completely filter through and for you to see the outcomes you were looking for.
You could "NoIndex, Follow" the pages if you really wanted to but I'd suggest waiting a bit longer for the canonicals to start working. If the canonicals really don't seem to be working for some/all of those pages, and you don't want to give it more time after a few weeks, then you could reasonably "NoIndex, Follow" the pages... but you could be harming link equity that would have been attributed to the canon page.
As for the 301 idea, it would really depend upon what the filtering parameters are doing. If its filtering out sections of a page for users or its helping you determining lead attribution in analytics, then I wouldn't want to indiscriminately 301 them. If they're being autogenerated but have canonicals in them from the start then you should be fine. Like above though, if after a few weeks of them existing with canonicals Google still is throwing duplicate errors at you for those specific pages then you can NonIndex them if you feel it is necessary.
-
Thanks Mike,
I´m thinking if a no index would be more appropriate...?
Some links with filtering parameters are also appearing, even though they were canonicals too. I´m guessing a 301 would make sense there...?
-
Its important to remember that a Canonical is a suggestion not a directive. So making those canonicals is the right way to do it but the search engines and crawlers will determine at their leisure whether they believe the canonical is right or not. Sometimes its a quick fix, and some times they don't accept the canonical at all. If the pages are exact duplicates then Google will get the picture eventually and start recognizing it. As for the Moz crawler, I haven't had a paid account in a while so I can't speak to the way the system works currently but I do know that it used to be an issue where the Moz crawler would never seem to properly recognize a canonicalized duplicate... so that may still be the issue,
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
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.
Related Questions
-
NoFollow Affiliate links from (very) shady websites will effect rankings?
Should I be worried , and if so what to do, if affiliates are linking from shady / gaming/adult websites? or dost the fact that the links are nofollow solve this issue completely ?
Affiliate Marketing | | KSafer0 -
Links exchange - Penguin update potential ??
Hi Everyone, If site A and site B exchange links in the past, it used to be kind of voided. So it is a practicve that we had pretty uch put on the side. But with the new penguin update, do you guys think that if 2 web sites are contacting each other to share a link in the interest of the user that it might be a new best practice to implement? Example, Car site contact car suspension site to exchange a link on relevant content such as blog articles or specific content on a page. What are your thoughts about that ? I am curious to know if anyone is wondering abouot that... Thanks, Alex
Affiliate Marketing | | webit400 -
Looking for a nice way to add an amazon affiliate store to my site
We are often asked what our favorite toys, books, resources, etc, are and I want to make a page(s) with our top resources that is a nice clean amazon affiliate store. Are there are good resources anyone knows of to do this? (I'm using a wordpress blog by the way....perhaps there is a plug in?) Thanks.
Affiliate Marketing | | NoahsDad0 -
Can anyone help me find the broadband ISP affiliate program I need?
I have a couple sites that deal with broadband internet access, and I'm looking to monetize beyond adsense. I'd like to sign up for some affiliate programs from internet service providers like Charter, CenturyLink, Comcast, etc. I found a couple affiliate programs but I am having no luck at all figuring out the programs that so many other websites are involved with. In about every case, the user is able to enter in their address and then a search is performed, returning programs available at their location. The programs I've found just do the traditional ad click-throughs for a possible commission. Can anyone enlighten me what kind of programs they are using?
Affiliate Marketing | | bizzer0 -
Google Panda & Effects On Affiliate Sites
Quick Question, We all have heard that outbound links for affiliate marketing will be filtered via Panda however how does this work when using the Google Affiliate Network URL's? Has anyone found different signals with using Google vs. Another Network?
Affiliate Marketing | | Ben-HPB0 -
Best Way for Resellers to Use Outbound Links to Software Demos
I have a software reseller site that wants to have ever-present linking buttons to demos of the software they sell--the demos are on their software vendor sites. My concerns relate to SEO and leaking link juice; but, also to constantly providing visitors with the exit door. What are the best practices for such a situation?
Affiliate Marketing | | Court_LOQUA0 -
Important question on affiliate links
The website I am working on is http://www.treadmillreviews.com. If you look at any of our affiliate links, they all have an href value of # or something that keeps the user on the page. However, there is an onclick="window.open('affiliate link URL')" code in them that has the affiliate link open in a new window. This website was set up to "hide" the affiliate links in essence this way. I just tried to make a PPC campaign in Google. Got shut down in about 20 minutes for being a "bridge page." Now, all of the content is original and not copied from anywhere. Supposedly Google could not see these links. Yet we got labeled how we did, and now I"m thinking it is causing rankings to hurt a bit. My question is, should I change how all of the links are set up? Should I make the href value be the affiliate link? It is a redirect like CJ.com uses. Should I nofollow those affiliate links? What is the best way to handle this problem? All help is appreciated.
Affiliate Marketing | | DanDeceuster0 -
Creating a kick-ass Amazon listing
My client just tasked me with helping create a great Amazon listing for their product. I know nothing about selling on Amazon. Which guides/books/tips should I check out?
Affiliate Marketing | | GriffinHansen0