The word is out!

The fact is that the functions of search are evolving at lightning speed. With such an incredible amount of content being submitted every second, how can we get where we need to be as quickly as possible?  Think about it…how many times have you attempted to research a topic or get information promptly, only to have to sift through a host of spam-laden sites, websites with lightweight content poorly written and obviously bogus? Maddening.

 Sites that scrape or swipe content from other locations, post any old questionable text they can find or generally subscribe to the ‘less is more’ theory – vamoose! Well, maybe not, but in my opinion still a good move for those of us who know internet marketing  inside out and are proponents of online environments that promote excellence in all arenas: content, design, development, and of course, search engine optimization! As Google cleans house, the search results should  begin to  separate the wheat from the chaff.  For Mannix Marketing, Inc., it’s a windfall. We maintain a high benchmark consistently with our own online guides and websites, as well as with our valued clients. They expect it.

If you think your website may be ‘on the edge’ of good form as it relates to content, give us a call at (800) 928-9154 or contact us online.

13. Don’t worry too much about duplicate content.
(Luisella Mazza, Google)

This stopped me in my tracks because as an SEO Strategist, one of the top things we work with clients on is to not only develop content, but to develop unique, high quality content. In doing so we ensure the site of not being hit with the dreaded label of having duplicate content, therefore causing the pages or entire site being ranked low, or worse yet, not being indexed at all. (read some of our previous post on the topic of duplicate content)

So have things changed in Searchland? Maybe. Are we being paranoid? Possibly a tad. Google even says within its guidelines that duplicate content by itself is not grounds for action on a website. In fact, their guidelines read:

‘Duplicate content on a site is not grounds for action on that site unless it appears that the intent of the duplicate content is to be deceptive and manipulate search engine results.’

I would say most websites out there are above board and not trying to manipulate any system. So should we really not be worried about duplicate content issues? I say we absolutely need to keep the issue of duplicate content in mind when developing site content. If we don’t, we may, even if the chance is ever so slightly, end up kicked out of search engines if they interpret the content as trying to be deceptive. How do we know how they are going to interpret content on a site? What I think is fresh and new copy may be interpreted by a search engine as duplicate content for reasons I might not even know about.

When it comes to duplicate content, it’s better to be safe than sorry. And remember that there is an added advantage of attacking duplicate content – when you develop or rewrite content to be unique, you are erasing the duplicate content possibility, as well as adding unique and hopefully high quality content to your site for visitors. A win – win.

Have you run into any duplicate content issues with your website? Let us know how you were able to remedy the situation.

Viewed as spam by the search engines, duplicate content is defined as content that already exists on another webpage. This content must be considered in “substantive blocks” or be “appreciably similar” according to Adam Lasnik of Google. This content is either extracted from another source or webpage, or replicated in an effort to increase the chances of getting listed or to help get multiple listings within a search engine’s index. To guard against duplicate content, the search engines have implemented a filter which prevents sites with this offense from being ranked well. If you have fallen prey to duplicate content, your site will be flagged. Google in particular will filter out all but the “oldest” page and it may also affect your Google Page Rank.

If you have legitimate reasons for utilizing what would be considered duplicate content, such as “print friendly” pages or pdf’s, simply use an exclusion tag to avoid becoming victim of the filter. Although Google claims they do not flag for printable versions, you may want to use the no robots tag just to be sure. Regardless, they will choose only one version of the page to list, eliminating the possibility of multiple listings. You will not be flagged for foreign language versions and the utilization of quotes will also not trigger the flag.

If you are redeveloping your website, use these tips to make sure you are not crossing any duplicate content lines:

• Make sure that any old pages are properly 301 redirected to the new page. Especially make sure to redirect if you are using the content from one of your old pages.
• Utilize robots.txt files to block the search engines from spidering any pages that you don’t want them to.

Keep it simple! Duplicate content can be complex if we make it complex … if we’re sharing articles, sharing or buying content, or using database driven content, rules apply.

Despite the good intentions of most website owners, there are some that will not hesitate in borrowing your personal content.

How can you protect yourself from content thieves?

Be your own content police. Occasionally monitor your own text to see if it has been duplicated. To do this, copy a few sentences of your content and paste it into the search function in Google. It will be easy to see by the results if someone has “borrowed” your words. Also check out http://www.copyscape.com – a website plagiarism site or http://www.duplicatecontent.net/.

Be aware of your surroundings. Recently, a client of mine discovered that someone had stolen his content and submitted it to an online article site. He discovered this because this very article was holding a top position for one of his keyword phrases. He clicked on the link and saw his own content staring back at him … with somebody else taking credit for it. To remedy this situation, we contacted the article editor and proved to him that this content had been stolen from our client and within a week or so, the article had been removed.

Don’t fret too much about content thieves – they are only hurting themselves. But if you are a victim, you can report the offender to Google.

Remember, there are no shortcuts when it comes to optimization and writing for the search engines. Take the time to be unique and it will benefit you in the long run.

Need a copywriter? Mannix Marketing’s professional copywriters can add content to your site not only fulfilling search engine algorithms, but intriguing the searchers to find out more about your products! Impress the engines AND your site visitors with our copywriting services.