<b>Each color variant has its own URL — duplicate content?</b>

<b>Each color variant has its own URL — duplicate content?</b>

'Q: My red, blue, and green versions of one shirt are 3 separate URLs with near-identical text. Will Google penalize me?'

<b>Short answer:</b> No penalty — but you're splitting ranking signals and confusing Google about which to show.

The longer version: there's no 'duplicate content penalty.' The real cost is dilution: links and relevance spread across three thin pages instead of one strong one.

Two valid models:

— One canonical product page with a color selector (variants swap via JS, single URL). Simplest, consolidates everything. Best when color isn't a search term.
— Separate variant URLs, each self-canonical, IF people actually search 'blue running shirt.' Then give each genuinely distinct content: unique title, variant-specific images, color in the copy.

What you should NOT do: three URLs with identical text and no canonical strategy. Pick consolidation or differentiation — don't sit in the middle.

Rule of thumb: separate URLs only when the variant has its own search demand. Otherwise, one URL with a swatch picker.

Got a variant question? Drop it.