Duplicate content question...

[Thom]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I'm looking to increase the content on my website by allowing others to submit articles to my site.

However, I realise that some of these articles may already be duplicated on other websites and article directories.

Would this affect my SEO? I've read conflicting information on duplicate content penalties, the latest being that it doesn't exist (according to Google Webmaster forum).

Other article directories appear high in Google, so surely such a penalty can't exist?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Ali-v-8]

The fabled "penalty" is not gaining rank- If you are seen to ignore duplicate content or fail to moderate your website Google will just ignore you.
The result isnt that you drop, it more like Google gives other higher authority instead.
Ignorance is not an excuse, but its also not immediately punishable.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

I've seen websites deindexed which have just had duplicate content on them (nice, clean links so that wasn't the problem). Google can be shockingly heavy handed.

 

[katyang]

I suggest you have to more careful about the content of your website coz by the time Google deindex your website, there's no turning back. It will much harder for you to index your website.

 

[JDIZM]

adding some script or article directory you are just opening the doors for spam. Yes you will suffer a penalty and possibly be de-indexed if you accumulate too much duplicate/low quality content.

syndicated content and duplicated content are two different things but a website cannot contain too much of either. Right now I think the golden ratio for uniqueness is somewhere around 60%.

Guest posting is your best option but unless your website already has authority you might be better of paying for a writer.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

adding some script or article directory you are just opening the doors for spam. Yes you will suffer a penalty and possibly be de-indexed if you accumulate too much duplicate/low quality content.

syndicated content and duplicated content are two different things but a website cannot contain too much of either. Right now I think the golden ratio for uniqueness is somewhere around 60%.

Guest posting is your best option but unless your website already has authority you might be better of paying for a writer.

This dude talks a lot of sense. If you're going to have people post potentially dupe content on your site (and it probably is unless you Copyscape and disallow it) then you need to have lots of your own unique content on there too. Not necessarily on the same page though.

I've proven (to myself anyway) that a 100% dupe content site, even if it's a one stop shop for one particular niche can be deindexed.

On one of my biggest client's sites I advise the guest bloggers who post there to write fresh content for it and not post the content elsewhere or we'll remove it. You can tell when something has been naturally syndicated or copied to 200 article directories, etc.

 

[Swapnil007]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I'm looking to increase the content on my website by allowing others to submit articles to my site.

However, I realise that some of these articles may already be duplicated on other websites and article directories.

Would this affect my SEO? I've read conflicting information on duplicate content penalties, the latest being that it doesn't exist (according to Google Webmaster forum).

Other article directories appear high in Google, so surely such a penalty can't exist?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Yes, you can accept articles, even you can allow guest posting but beware of the spam and duplication because it affects your popularity and reputation of yours site leading to decreasing in PR etc or even Excessive spamming will lead to permanent ban on your site.

 

[Websitehandyman]

A lot depends on how Google sees the content but you need to tread very carefully. A better option would be to signup to a content supplier and then use the articles as ideas for your own content.

Don't be tempted by spinning content as that won't work either.

 

[Thom]

Thanks for all your insight everyone.

I agree with JDIZM's comment too, I think it may be opening the doors to potential spammers.

I think playing the long game would be more beneficial in the long run, i.e encouraging guest bloggers to re-write their content if already used on other sites. Of course, this would require a more direct, personal approach rather than openly allowing anyone to submit articles but I think it would pay off in the long-run.

Regards,

 

[webgeek]

Accept guest posts, input as 'draft'. Then run them through copyscape and see if they pass. Then human review them to see if they're garbage or good stuff. So far so good? Then hit publish.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

Accept guest posts, input as 'draft'. Then run them through copyscape and see if they pass. Then human review them to see if they're garbage or good stuff. So far so good? Then hit publish.

Definitely. Exactly what we do. Just follow this blueprint and you can't possibly go wrong. All it will cost you is your time and 5 cents per Copyscape credit.

 

[Onlineadguru]

It's always best to have original content, don't you think?! Maybe you could filter it in some way, before it gets published, to make sure it isn't duplicate? Be careful, Google can be pretty mean with it's penalties and once you've been penalised there isn't much chance of getting your indexing back.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

It's always best to have original content, don't you think?! Maybe you could filter it in some way, before it gets published, to make sure it isn't duplicate? Be careful, Google can be pretty mean with it's penalties and once you've been penalised there isn't much chance of getting your indexing back.

Yes filtering and not allowing autoposting is a must or else it's just a content farm isn't it.

 

[anne785]

some people post same contents in all the site which leads to duplication only unique contents are valuable.

 

[johnn34]

Yes, this will be considered as duplicate content so you should avoid it. Better approach would be to allow guest blogging where you can check the quality of content being posted on your site.

 

[LiamPugh]

It is never a good idea to use duplicate content on your site. It's much harder to rank a site, including duplicate content. Moreover, if the content isn't quality written, then you risk to be penalized by Google.

 

[vutshuvo]

copy content is the big issues for panda update.
if google identified copy content , they will de -indexed your web page
so ,be care full regarding thies issues