Merge what overlaps

Overlapping documents should usually be merged when they serve the same user intent:

• They answer substantially the same question.
• Most of the procedure is identical.
• Their main difference is wording, examples or page title.
• One is an older or weaker version of the other.
• Users could reasonably be unsure which page they should follow.
• A requested new page could be handled by expanding an existing one.

Choose the strongest page as the authoritative version, absorb any useful unique material, then redirect or retire the weaker one.

Different examples alone are not enough to justify separate documentation. Neither is a different search keyword.

The merge or separate test

Merge when most of these are true:

• They answer the same user question.
• They serve the same audience.
• They lead to the same outcome.
• Their instructions overlap heavily.
• Their differences are mostly examples, wording or search terms.
• One page could serve both needs without becoming harder to follow.

Keep separate when any of these creates a meaningful difference:

• Product versions behave differently.
• User intents differ.
• Workflows differ substantially.
• Audiences need genuinely different instructions.
• One is tutorial content while the other serves a task, lookup or understanding need.
• Combining them would make either path less clear.

The decision should never be based on page count. It should be based on whether the structure helps the user find the right answer and act on it.

Worked example