Duplicate content can arise from copied text or technical variations such as www versus non-www, HTTP versus HTTPS, capitalization and trailing slashes. Multiple versions can complicate canonical selection and distribute signals across URLs. Use rel=canonical to indicate the preferred version. Where versions can be fully consolidated, a permanent 301 redirect provides a more direct solution. Ordinary duplication does not automatically constitute a spam penalty, but it can create indexing and signal-management issues.
Some websites are seeing sharp increases in site: operator queries in Search Console performance reports. Explore possible causes, measurement effects and diagnostic responses.
