Impact of Duplicate Content on SEO and How to Avoid

Published on 22.04.2026 by Chizoba T

Social media platforms are increasingly ranking in SERPs. With Google shifting its focus to visual search and user-generated content, at least 50% of Google SERPs include at least one social media platform in the top 10 results. This means that when creating social media content, your focus should be on both your audience and search engines.

When building a social media cross-promotion strategy, one major consideration is how Google and other search engines treat duplicate content. Join us as we explore the impact of duplicate content on SEO.

What is Duplicate Content?

Duplicate content refers to content appearing on more than one platform on the internet. This can be on the same website, a different website, or social media platforms. The goal of a search engine is to provide users with unique and helpful content. When multiple pages contain similar content, this can confuse search engines and affect SERP rankings.

Website content is considered duplicate content when it’s repeated several times within a block of text, rather than across several words or phrases. However, content is considered duplicate when it is substantially copied from another site, including from the same site. As a rule of thumb, any content that matches at least 40% of another page’s content is considered to be duplicate content, whether it’s on the same website or different ones. According to Google, here are a few examples of content considered to be duplicate content:

  • Content copied and pasted from another site, even in the form of a quotation.
  • Multiple URLs that point to the same page are treated by Google as two distinct pages.
  • Repetition of the content title or meta description tags throughout the site.

Let us now look at examples of online content that isn’t considered duplicate content online:

  • E-commerce sites that list items for sale under different URLs.
  • Different printable versions of the same web page.
  • Distinct pages for mobile and desktop.

These are considered to be non-malicious duplicate content. To detect duplicate content, Google checks the original content source and prioritizes the original page over duplicate versions.

Is Publishing Your Social Media Page Considered Duplicate Content?

Let’s assume you create a blog post on LinkedIn that went viral. Now you want to publish it on your website to drive even more views. The bad news is that even this kind of content will be considered duplicate if it is very similar on both platforms. 

However, such content will not result in a direct penalty from Google, but will impact your SEO efforts. For instance, you might find that your own blog is outranked by your LinkedIn profile.

Impact of Duplicate Content on SEO

Duplicate content can negatively impact your SERP rankings, whether the duplication occurs externally or internally. Internal duplication occurs when your own pages cannibalize one another, which can affect rankings. If your pages are experiencing external duplication, you might find that another page’s copy is what ranks compared to yours. You can face other challenges on your site, such as:

  • Diluting the power of backlinks. Backlinks refer to links from other websites pointing to your site. When you have identical pages receiving backlinks from the same website, you split the link juice rather than having it all go to the same URL.
  • Affect your crawl budget. Search engine bots usually allocate time and resources to crawl your website, which is called the crawl budget. When they have to crawl multiple versions of the same content, this can prevent your important pages from being indexed, especially on a large website.

How to Cross-Promote Social Media Content Without Duplicate

As illustrated above, duplicate content will affect your SEO. That means if you cross-post content by simply copying it, your content will be treated as a duplicate. Therefore, it would be a good idea to adapt your content to each social media platform’s unique format and audience. Make sure you follow these rules for cross-posting to avoid duplicate content:

  • Adapt the content to the platform. Instead of copying content verbatim, rewrite the captions to match each platform’s tone. For instance, you can use a formal tone on LinkedIn but a casual one on Facebook. When posting on Instagram, you can add many emojis.
  • Optimize your visuals. Make sure your images and videos are also customized for each platform.
  • Vary your content scheduling. Don’t post the same content on multiple platforms at the same time. Make sure your posts are spaced out for maximum reach.
  • Add unique tags. You can add platform-specific hashtags and handlers.
  • Leverage automation tools. Tools such as Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social can help you customize your posts for each channel’s needs.

How to Repost Social Media Content for SEO

If you want to republish your social media content for SEO, you need to reformat, update, and distribute it strategically to avoid duplicate content, which can lead to penalties. To improve content visibility in search engines, adapt it to different audiences’ needs, increase engagement, and extend its lifespan. Here are a few tips for repurposing social media content for SEO.

  • Focus on evergreen content. Make sure you target content that will remain relevant over time, such as educational tips, checklists, and how-to guides, rather than trending news items. 
  • Add canonical tags. If you want to repurpose blog posts and other long-form content, ensure the new platform, such as LinkedIn, adds a canonical link back to the original source. This will inform search engines which master copy to index.
  • Don’t repost immediately. Wait 2 to 4 weeks after the initial publication before republishing the content on your site. This will allow the original post to be indexed first.
  • Refresh the content first. Make sure any facts, links, or statistics are verified first to ensure the content is up to date. You can include an editor’s note indicating that the content was originally published elsewhere. This will help you build trust in social selling.
  • Adapt for different platforms. Avoid cross-posting similar text. Instead, ensure that each piece of content is tailored to the platform. For instance, if you want to repost a long-form LinkedIn blog on Instagram, you can turn it into a carousel post. You can also summarize a short-form TikTok video into an X thread.
  • Add value. Make sure the content you republish adds a new angle, insight, or perspective not available in the original.

In Conclusion

One challenge creators may face when reposting social media content is the risk of duplicate content. This can affect your SEO even when you publish a social media post on your blog. Therefore, make sure you follow the tips above when reposting content to avoid duplicate content.