How should I handle duplicate content issues with pagination on a Webflow website to ensure proper SEO?

Pagination in Webflow can create duplicate content issues when multiple paginated pages show overlapping or similar content. To maintain good SEO, it's important to signal to search engines how to interpret these pages.

1. Use Canonical Tags Properly

• Webflow automatically sets canonical tags for CMS Collection Template pages and pagination URLs.
• Make sure each paginated URL (like /blog?page=2) canonically references the main collection page (e.g., /blog) only if the paginated pages don’t bring unique value.
• Otherwise, let them have self-referencing canonical tags to show that they are distinct and purposeful pages.

2. Limit Content Overlap

• Avoid showing the same featured or sticky content at the top of every paginated page.
• Ensure each page in the series has unique article snippets to reduce perceived duplication by search engines.

3. Customize Pagination URL Slugs Carefully

• By default, pagination URLs follow the ?page=2 format, which is acceptable for SEO.
• Avoid using JavaScript-only pagination or lazy-load systems without URL changes, as these can be missed by search engine crawlers.

4. Avoid Indexing of Secondary Paginated Pages (If Needed)

• If you prefer search engines to index only the first page of a paginated series:
• Add a <meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow"> in the Header Custom Code section conditionally based on the pagination query string (?page=2, ?page=3, etc.).
• Use custom code and JavaScript to detect the pagination parameter and insert the meta tag. This requires caution and testing.

5. Internal Linking Best Practices

• Make sure your main collection or blog page links clearly to subsequent pages via visible pagination links.
• Avoid orphaned paginated pages—Google must follow internal links to crawl them.

6. Use Consistent Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

• Differentiate title tags on paginated pages (e.g., “Blog – Page 2”) using Webflow’s dynamic page title and meta description settings.
• This helps clarify to search engines that each page serves a unique purpose.

Summary

To avoid SEO issues from pagination in Webflow, ensure canonical tags are correct, content varies across pages, and paginated URLs are crawlable. Consider using "noindex, follow" meta tags for deeper pages if they offer little standalone SEO value, but only if you're confident in implementation.