Be Original - Avoid Duplicate Content

Be Original – Avoid Duplicate Content

When you are looking to make the most of your SEO marketing efforts, Google is pretty crystal-clear on one thing; they love content. Content is, after all, what is needed so that Google can direct those using the search engine to the best place for the desired information. But when it comes to content, Google is also pretty clear with another aspect; they hate duplicate content.

Duplicate content is pretty much what it sounds like. It is content that is written and then spread around multiple places online. Now, the obvious problem with this is that such actions typically meant someone simply copied someone else’s textual content and then tried passing it off as their own…to a lot of places. But the issue with duplicate content is more than that.

What Google wants is a pleasant experience for its users. If the same article is posted to many websites, the user may have trouble landing on a reputable source. Google figured out a long time ago that those conducting these actions were doing so to try and subvert the rules of the search engine giant. So, they quickly fixed the issue by starting to penalize those who practiced the art of duplication…aka spamming. Conversely, Google greatly rewards original content.

Now you may be thinking that you are in the clear as each of your articles and/or blogs came from your own ideas or others’ ideas that you re-wrote. But, not so fast. Duplicate content doesn’t necessarily have to be content that is exactly the same. In fact, Google uses its own judgment to determine whether or not content is too similar. If in Google’s view, it is labeled as duplicate content, then the penalties are levied.
The good news is there are a handful of resources you can use to ensure your content is not considered duplicate. While there are free resources out there, just keep in mind the pay resources are very affordable and are more in tune with what Google will and won’t consider duplication.

The bottom line is duplication of content is no good. So, be sure to carefully check over your content to make sure nothing will be flagged. Then stick to writing content that is not so similar to other content you’ve already created and avoid syndication for SEO purposes. Stay original and stay in the good graces of Google…or push your duplication luck and risk being labeled a spammer.