There are some commandments out there that everyone seems to know but that they still break – at least from time to time.
In the world of SEO, Thou Shall Use Original Content. While should be obvious, it’s one of the biggest rules often broken by content creators. And not just by spammy websites or lazy companies – some of the most respected and trusted sites in the world copy content.
Without naming names, there are informational sites out there that will lift entire sections from Wikipedia and other sources to provide information without having to do any research themselves. There are also retailers that take the description of a product directly from the manufacturer’s page without rewriting it. These are just two examples of times where original content is “stolen”. We all suffer for stolen content whether you realize that or not.
Search engines send out bots or spiders (in most cases) to review websites and to categorize the content. But how are they to know if Jim.com created the content on his page or if Bill.net created it since they both feature it and no one cites the other. What if neither of them created it and it was originally created by Susie.org? It’s wrong when proper credit doesn’t go to the author – the person who put the time and effort into fact checking and writing the piece.
So, Susie.org originally created the content, but Bill.net is stealing the content just to get people to his site where he spams them with other information that is neither legitimate or accurate. How are search engines supposed to know which site is the original, trustworthy source? It’s not always easy to determine. In the end, you as an internet user suffer from this plagiarism.
Plagiarism? Yes, that’s exactly what this is, and it’s a serious issue. Content originators can actually take legal action for acts of copyright infringement.
Not only does stealing content harm the originator of the content and the public at large, but it’s also bad for your website’s standing. Search Engines have been known to “punish” websites that routinely steal content by ranking them lower or by banning them entirely from their search engine. Think about that one for a minute… could your business or webpage survive without Google?
Have we stressed enough that you need to create original content for your webpage and/or attribute appropriately when curating from other sites? It’s absolutely essential. Search engines value original and relevant content, and they “reward” the sites that follow this rule.
So go ahead and gather good information to use in your content… Just make sure to give proper credit to each and every source. It’s just good business.
