Advanced Duplicate Post Manager

Contributors: Darren Kandekore
Tags: duplicates, redirect, media, htaccess, slug, CSV, SEO, admin
Requires at least: 5.0
Tested up to: 6.5
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 3.2
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

A powerful tool for WordPress administrators to detect and manage duplicate content across posts, pages, categories, media, and custom post types. Assign 301 redirects, clean up media, and manage .htaccess rules from a user-friendly interface.

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🔧 Features

• ✅ Detect duplicates by title and slug
• ✅ Works with:
  • Posts
  • Pages
  • Custom Post Types
  • Categories
  • Media (by filename and file size)
• ✅ Bulk delete duplicate entries
• ✅ Assign per-item 301 redirects
• ✅ Generate and manage .htaccess redirect rules
• ✅ View and download .htaccess from the admin panel
• ✅ One-click backup and restore for .htaccess
• ✅ Automatically generate CSV export of detected duplicates
• ✅ Compatible with PHP 8.1+

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📥 Installation

1. Upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/
2. Activate the plugin via Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Go to Tools > Duplicate Post Manager

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🚀 How to Use

📍 Step 1: Scan for Duplicates

• Navigate to Tools > Duplicate Post Manager
• Select a content type:
  • Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types
  • Media Library
  • Categories
• Click Scan for Duplicates

✅ Step 2: Review and Select Duplicates

• Duplicates will appear in a table
• For each:
  • Check the box to delete
  • (Posts/Pages only) Choose a redirect target:
    • Select from other duplicates
    • Or enter a manual URL

⚠️ Media and categories are delete-only — no redirects.

🗑️ Step 3: Process

• Click Delete Selected & Redirect
• Posts will be sent to trash
• Redirects will be saved and added to .htaccess output

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📜 .htaccess Management

Go to Tools > .htaccess Manager to:

• View generated redirect rules
• Write them directly into your real .htaccess file
• Clear all stored redirects
• Download .htaccess backup

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💾 .htaccess Backup/Restore

Go to Tools > .htaccess Backups to:

• One-click backup your current .htaccess to /uploads/htaccess-backups/
• Restore the last backup anytime

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📥 CSV Export

• Each time you scan, a CSV file is saved to /wp-content/uploads/advanced-duplicate-posts.csv
• After scanning, a Download Duplicates CSV button will appear
• Useful for keeping audit logs or pre-approval before deletion

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🔒 Best Practices

• 🔄 Always back up .htaccess before writing changes
• 📁 Only assign redirects to valid, working URLs
• ✅ Let the plugin check for 404s — it won’t save invalid redirects
• 🧹 Delete media duplicates with caution — this cannot be undone
• 🧪 Test in staging before cleaning large content batches

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🧠 Why Use This Plugin?

• Prevent SEO penalties from duplicate content
• Safely redirect deleted pages instead of serving 404s
• Keep your database and media library lean and organized
• Avoid slug collisions and orphaned content
• Maintain editorial and audit control with CSV logs

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💼 Use Cases

• Bulk-imported WordPress sites with many auto-generated posts
• Migrated content from older CMSs
• eCommerce or directory sites with repeated titles or categories
• Media-heavy sites needing cleanup of duplicate images

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❓ FAQ

Q: Can I use this for WooCommerce products?
A: Yes! Products are a custom post type. Just select them from the dropdown.

Q: Are deleted posts permanently removed?
A: No — posts/pages are moved to trash. Media is permanently deleted.

Q: Does it affect SEO?
A: In a good way! 301 redirects preserve SEO value by avoiding 404s.

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🧩 Roadmap / Ideas

• [ ] Automatic scheduled duplicate scans
• [ ] Email CSV audit reports to admins
• [ ] WooCommerce product image deduplication
• [ ] Integration with Redirection plugin and Rank Math

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📜 License

This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later.

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👤 Author

Darren Kandekore
Built with care to keep your WordPress content clean, SEO-friendly, and efficient.