Do you own a website? If you do, are you sure that you have unique content? How do you even know if other webmasters are copying from your site? Well, one indication could be a penalty from Google. If this is the case, you will usually receive a notification in your Webmaster Tools account. On the other hand, you can use online plagiarism tools to check for copied articles or short text. But do you have any idea what exactly duplicate Web content is?
Let us have a look at the following insights for a quick overview.
What is Duplicate Web Content & how it Affects?
By definition (according to many authority online resources), it refers to “contentthatappearsonmorethanonewebpage”. The copy may either consist of substantial sections only or completely match the original.
More specifically, it may consist of the following:
- Pages with the same meta description, title, and other elements
- A Web page accessible from several links
Then again, you don’t call all similar content duplication. For instance, you don’t call it copying if the page details are translated into various languages or has the same navigation or header labels. Though on the other hand if you are using any automated way to offer translated version of your site, it would be against Google Webmaster guidelines, as mentioned by JuhnMu in Google Forum.
- Read: DMCA take down penalty added as new factor in search engine ranking
Given that you have several copies of one webpage and other sites have too, what could be the impact?
- One, you may be forcing Google to show the users wrong information after going through the trouble of filtering insubstantial content.
- Second, your site may rank in the bottom SERPs or may be penalised.
- Third, your target users may look for other websites because you cannot provide them with relevant data.
- Finally, you are only wasting your time and effort given the three effects above.
HOWDOYOUDEALWITHIT?
If you don’t want all of these to happen, make sure your content is unique. If there are instances of duplication (by you or other webmasters), you can use these solutions.
Take Legal action against copied content
Maybe, you can file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violation, eespecially if you have obtained property rights for the content. You can also ask Google to disavow the duplicate.
- How to request for URL removal of copied content
Encourage social share
After the third strategy, you can place widgets or buttons to make the webpages unique, especially since the icons point to your networking accounts. Additionally, these allow the users to suggest your site to their friends or followers. The major benefit of this would be faster indexing of your original content and if scrapper is copying your article, they will be outranked by Social signals and indexing.
- How to motivate readers to share articles
Create Original content
Do you feel the need to copy from sources? You can do this if you are writing articles with difficult topics. However, you have to make sure that you don’t copy the words verbatim.
Now, if you are generating product pages, come up with your own images and descriptions rather than getting ideas from other e-commerce sites that are offering the same merchandise. Most importantly, you must never use an article spinner because it will only make the information less sensible.
Use canonical Tags
One easy way to avoid Duplicate web content issue on your site is by using canonicalization tags, this strategy requires coding expertise. If you are already adept at it, you can go over this page on Google Webmaster Tools to learn further. Alternatively, you can let a trained coder perform this task for you. If you are using WordPress, you can easily achieve it by using SEO plugins.
- What is WordPress Duplicate Content issues and Fix
Final Words:
As long as you follow these ideas, you won’t have a problem with duplicate Web content. In return, you won’t get a penalty from Google and other search engines. At the same time, you can please your target audience with unique and useful data.
- Recommended read: How to Avoid Getting your blog post copied
So, what do you think? Are these strategies easy to carry out? Do you have other tips to share with the other readers?
Do you own a website? If you do, are you sure that you have unique content? How do you even know if other webmasters are copying from your site? Well, one indication could be a penalty from Google. If this is the case, you will usually receive a notification in your Webmaster Tools account. On the other hand, you can use online plagiarism tools to check for copied articles or short text. But do you have any idea what exactly duplicate Web content is?
Let us have a look at the following insights for a quick overview.
What is Duplicate Web Content & how it Affects?
By definition (according to many authority online resources), it refers to “contentthatappearsonmorethanonewebpage”. The copy may either consist of substantial sections only or completely match the original.
More specifically, it may consist of the following:
Then again, you don’t call all similar content duplication. For instance, you don’t call it copying if the page details are translated into various languages or has the same navigation or header labels. Though on the other hand if you are using any automated way to offer translated version of your site, it would be against Google Webmaster guidelines, as mentioned by JuhnMu in Google Forum.
Given that you have several copies of one webpage and other sites have too, what could be the impact?
HOWDOYOUDEALWITHIT?
If you don’t want all of these to happen, make sure your content is unique. If there are instances of duplication (by you or other webmasters), you can use these solutions.
Take Legal action against copied content
Maybe, you can file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violation, eespecially if you have obtained property rights for the content. You can also ask Google to disavow the duplicate.
Encourage social share
After the third strategy, you can place widgets or buttons to make the webpages unique, especially since the icons point to your networking accounts. Additionally, these allow the users to suggest your site to their friends or followers. The major benefit of this would be faster indexing of your original content and if scrapper is copying your article, they will be outranked by Social signals and indexing.
Create Original content
Do you feel the need to copy from sources? You can do this if you are writing articles with difficult topics. However, you have to make sure that you don’t copy the words verbatim.
Now, if you are generating product pages, come up with your own images and descriptions rather than getting ideas from other e-commerce sites that are offering the same merchandise. Most importantly, you must never use an article spinner because it will only make the information less sensible.
Use canonical Tags
One easy way to avoid Duplicate web content issue on your site is by using canonicalization tags, this strategy requires coding expertise. If you are already adept at it, you can go over this page on Google Webmaster Tools to learn further. Alternatively, you can let a trained coder perform this task for you. If you are using WordPress, you can easily achieve it by using SEO plugins.
Final Words:
As long as you follow these ideas, you won’t have a problem with duplicate Web content. In return, you won’t get a penalty from Google and other search engines. At the same time, you can please your target audience with unique and useful data.
So, what do you think? Are these strategies easy to carry out? Do you have other tips to share with the other readers?
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