"I do not believe that duplicate titles from different accounts flags as duplicate content, causing rejection"

Unfortunately, just the opposite has been found to be true. Duplicate titles on different sites, using the same User ID has resulted in whole data feeds to be rejected.

"On the other hand duplicate titles, or very similar titles in the same feed can be seen as duplicates. "

I used to do that when I listed on Blujay, and never had an item be rejected.

Quote: › Unfortunately, just the opposite has been found to be true. Duplicate titles on different sites, using the same User ID has resulted in whole data feeds to be rejected.

It's not clear what is meant by "same User ID" - google ID, store name, or site login for example - but probably that's something besides "title" that is being duplicated. I can't really comment about those feeds, not knowing anything else about them. However I do know that you'll very commonly find similar to identical titles from different sellers on Google Products and I've never heard of an issue with it.

On the converse question, I've personally had duplicate titled items faded from Products when they were in the same feed. It doesn't happen to all accounts (I know that for a fact) and may not happen commonly. I think it's a case of "haven't gotten around to it yet", which you'll see often with issues affecting someone on Google but not someone else. Again Google is often less than forthcoming about that sort of thing so I do not have complete information available. So for the past several weeks I've done a bit of testing on live feeds, just trial and error. From what I can tell, having the same or similar title is only a very small part (if any) of what can cause problems in a feed. At this point I'd just about guarantee that any disapproved feed or faltering individual listings have at least another issue along with the title duplication.

I do know that google does not like multiple listings of the same exact title from a site or seller.

This is why so many sites have rules about exact titles.

I knew one person who had 40 different items with the same title... it got indexed but not 40 times... only 1ce. I tried to get her to change it and she refused. This was back in 2005.

Besides that makes it confusing for your buyers. having to look thru every item because they wanted something of a specific color and couldn't find it again.

I think they don't like anything that looks like spamming products or gaming search rankings Mo. The same title CAN be spamming, but isn't ALWAYS spamming from Google's perspective. Especially not from multiple sellers or sites. I also think that their algorithm is in constant flux so it's really hard to quantify but I'm pretty sure that Google has some fairly complex formulas for deciding whether something is a true duplicate from one seller (or site) or is actually different products. It doesn't even have to be identical titles, just "close enough", whatever that means in Google, along with other points of similarity.

I also think it's been a pretty sticky problem for Google, and that's one reason for the recent emphasis on manufacturer part numbers, upc codes, isbn and brand. To identify duplicates, not so much as to eliminate them but for classification and comparison.

For example I just now searched for "2gb micro sd card", a product which I figure is pretty ubiquitous but which you'd think has duplicate titles. There's only so many ways to effectively title a 2gb micro sd card in 65 characters. The top two results had identical titles, "Kingston Flash memory card - 2 GB MicroSD - 1 x microSD
Kingston Flash memory card - 2 GB MicroSD - 1 x microSD". They also had "from 282 sellers" and "from 175 sellers" along with "compare prices" buttons. Comparing prices shows one title and description, and a list of sellers with base price and total price. The title and description is surely a catalog standard but I think it does show that Google is not concerned about the same item listed from multiple sellers.

Continuing in the same line of investigation, a search for "SanDisk 2GB microSD Card" (exact phrase) shows several duplicates with that as the title, two of them from the same seller but with different descriptions and product links. There are duplications among the titles with various added phrases such as "with SD MiniSD Adapters". Many sellers also include a standard product number which makes sense for searches but which also leads to more duplications.

So in short, from my observation

1) Google doesn't penalize a listing of the same item that another seller offers, even with the same title
2) Google rewards the seller that has more matches in a particular search string, and
3) Google variously penalizes anything that looks like duplicates from the same source.

Penalizing is a necessary balance to prevent gaming based on the first two. Again, that's just from my own observations, and my trial and error seems to bear that out.

Just an update. I sent a second note to CS at Google about my feed failing a second time. They are now acknowledging that the feed failure was something that accrued on their side. My feed is now showing in process but has been like that for about a day now. Will post again with any new info.

WP,

I think you have something there. To make it easier for Google to combine listings for comparison a standard title is used. Works for generic items. Not so much for used and rather unique items like mine.

WP, as I said, this was back in 2005 or so... this particular seller was on ebay, and expanding out... All of her products had the same exact title. You had to open each item to see the differences. Now she's expanding out to other sites with the same exact titles.

So yeah, she was spamming her product. And as a result, instead of getting multiple listings she got 1.

Not too mention the buyers nightmare of WHICH ONE DID I JUST LOOK AT?

Can you imagine listings all your stones as just Tiger Eye, or Sodalite or Amber without telling in the title any particulars that would set aside one tiger eye listing from another?

I agree completely Mo that it doesn't help anyone for the same item from the same source to clog up any list or SERP. It annoys shoppers and disrupts search, eventually leading to consequences. Generally, a Bad Idea. Unfortunately eBay used to reward that practice for various Search reasons and I think that's where the habit usually comes from.

How do you deal with it on your site?

I convinced with a search for her products.. showed her she had only 1 listing in google and because all her titles were the same, instead of having 45 (or whatever of listings, she only had 1) and that if she changed her title she would have more.

Another seller from a competing site decided to list 1000s of a CCG ... ALL the same title. I think she ended up suspended.

Today, so far, I've only had a couple of sellers list duplicate titles... and when they complain about not getting hits from google... I tell them how they shot themselves in the foot along with all of my efforts to get them indexed. Of course, today, I'm not as patient as I was before. And each day that passes... those nerves get fewer and fewer... till I will only have 1 left.