Duplicate content can have a negative effect on SEO, as it can lead to search engine penalties and decreased visibility in search results. Search engines want to provide their users with the most meaningful and authoritative content, and if the same content is found on multiple pages, it can be difficult for them to determine which version is the most authoritative. Additionally, having multiple versions of the same content can lead to a split in link equity, as each version of the content will have its own unique URL. As a result, the link equity will be spread out over multiple URLs, instead of being consolidated on a single authoritative page.

Lower rankings: If search engines find multiple pages with duplicate content, they may choose to only show one version of the content in search results. This can result in lower rankings for all pages with duplicate content because they are essentially competing against each other.

Diluted authority: When multiple pages have the same or similar content, it can dilute the authority of the content and make it less valuable in the eyes of search engines.

Penalties: In some cases, websites with a significant amount of duplicate content may receive a penalty from search engines, which can result in even lower rankings or even being removed from search results altogether.

To avoid issues with duplicate content, it’s important to ensure that all pages on your website have unique and valuable content. This can be achieved by creating original content for each page, using canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of content, and using redirects to consolidate pages with similar content. By taking steps to avoid duplicate content, you can help to improve the SEO of your website and increase its visibility in search results.