Still not sure about why avoiding duplicate content matters? First off, we all need to have an understanding of what exactly constitutes duplicate content.
Duplicate content is simply this: Page A has the same words on it as Page B, word for word. Sometimes, a word may have been changed here and there to make it seem like different content, but Google can still see the similarities (and will likely punish your site if you have duplicate content). Some people think if they change some of it that they will be able to fly stealthily without Google noticing. Wrong. There’s no magic number of “acceptable” duplication. It’s best to just not copy another page. Period.
A rule of thumb is to never copy and paste anything that you have used somewhere else. For example, let’s say you have some great boilerplate copy you use on your social media accounts. Don’t use it on your website. In most cases, Google doesn’t know which page is better because they have the same content on them. However, in the case of Facebook or Twitter, you can guarantee that they’ll think those two websites are much more trusted than yours (even if the content is yours), so just avoid it altogether.
Not sure if Google is punishing you for duplicate content? Give us a call and we’d be happy to help you find out!