Duplicate Meta Description in GWMT

[orangechew]

We've just discovered that there are multiple duplicate URLs indexed for a site that we're working on. It seems that when new versions of the site was developed in the last couple of years, there were new page names and URL structures that were used. All of these seem to be showing up as Duplicate Meta Descriptions in Google's WMT, which is not surprising as they are basically the same page with the same content that are just sitting on different page names/URLs.

This is an example of the situation, where URL 5 is the current version. Note: all the others are still live and resolve, although they are not linked to from the current site.

• URL 1: www.example.com/blue-tshirts.html (Version 1 - January 2010)
• URL 2: www.example.com/blue-t-shirts.html (Version 2 - July 2010)
• URL 3: www.example.com/blue_t_shirts.html (Version 3 - November 2010)
• URL 4: www.example.com/buy/blue_tshirts.html (Version 4 - January 2011)
• URL 5: www.example.com/buy/bluetshirts.html (Version 5 - April 2011)

Presumably, this is a clear case of duplicate content.

QUESTION: In order to solve it, shall we 301 all of the previous URLs to the current one - ie. Redirect URLs 1-4 to URL 5? Or, should some of them be NoIndexed?

To complicate matters, there is Pagination on most of them. For example:

• URL 1: www.example.com/blue-tshirts.html (Version 1 - January 2010)

• URL 1a: www.example.com/page-1/blue-tshirts.html

• URL 1b: www.example.com/page-2/blue-tshirts.html

• URL 1c: www.example.com/page-3/blue-tshirts.html

• URL 4: www.example.com/buy/blue_tshirts.html

• URL 4a: www.example.com/buy/page-1/blue_tshirts.html

• URL 4b: www.example.com/buy/page-2/blue_tshirts.html

• URL 4c: www.example.com/buy/page-3/blue_tshirts.html

• URL 5: www.example.com/buy/bluetshirts.html

• URL 5a: www.example.com/buy/page-1/bluetshirts.html

• URL 5b: www.example.com/buy/page-2/bluetshirts.html

• URL 5c: www.example.com/buy/page-3/bluetshirts.html

Since URL 5 is the current site, we are going to 'NoIndex, Follow' URLs 5a, 5b and 5c, which is what we understand to be the correct thing to do for paginated pages.

QUESTION: What shall we do with URLs 1a, 1b and 1c? Should we apply the same "No Index, Follow" OR should they be 301'd to their respective counterparts in 5a, 5b and 5c?

QUESTION: In the same way, since URL 4 is the version just before the current live Version 5, does it make a different on whether the paginated pages (ie 4a, 4b and 4c) should be No Indexed or 301'd?

Thanks in advance for all responses and suggestions, it's greatly appreciated.

[Nick_Ker]

If the pages are not used and not linked to in your site, remove them and 301 redirect the URLs to the new addresses.

You are right about the pagination and noindex, follow, but another solution which may be better is to use rel="next" and rel="prev".  See this for more info: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2011/09/pagination-with-relnext-and-relprev.html