Duplicate content is content that appears somewhere on the internet in more than one URL. It confuses search engines, like Google, because they don’t know where to send the searcher. Regardless. Duplicate content is going to happen in today’s digital world.
Quotes from experts are used to give credibility to blogs, certain call-to-action words are commonly used, and colloquialisms are used frequently throughout the internet. That being said, duplicate content is unacceptable and must be kept to a minimum, so Google doesn’t lower your rankings on searches or exclude it altogether.
Duplicate content can be found either onsite (a businesses website), or offsite on another website. There are three types of duplicate content:
- True Duplicates: True duplicates occur when the content is exactly the same as on another page but has a different URL;
- Near Duplicates: Near duplicates occur when part of a text, image or the content’s order is similar to another web page.
- Cross-domain Duplicates: Cross-domain duplicates occur when two websites have the same content and could either be true or near.
One of the most common types of duplicate content is product descriptions because many different online stores sell some of the same products by the same manufacturer. For example, books and CDs are by the same author or library so the content is many times exactly the same.
Since this issue is commonplace, there are websites called duplicate content checkers that scan articles and report back for editing. Here are eight handy duplicate content checkers:
8 Helpful Duplicate Content Checker Sites
1. Copyscape
Copyscape is a reliable and accurate tool that allows the writer to search other published articles for duplicate content. It will scan and search all PDF files, internet sites, forums and blogs for duplicate content and provide the locations for the writer to review. Copyscape is free, with upgrades available for checking unpublished content.
2. Google Webmaster Tools
Google Webmaster is a tool that will reveal duplicate titles or descriptions so writers can identify the problem. It also searches everything causing visibility, including backlinks, robots.txt, errors and query data.
3. Plagiarisma.Net
Plagiarisma is a free duplicate content checker trusted by more than four million professionals and students worldwide. This site detects copyright infringement in essays, research papers, articles and other marketing content.
4. ProfileTree
ProfileTree is a leading content marketing agency in Ireland. The highly experienced content writing and SEO team can help any business identify duplicate content on their website and help avoid such problems by providing incredibly effective content marketing blog posts and a clear digital strategy for any company.
5. DupeOff
With DupeOff, you can simply log on and paste your content up to four sentences per week for free if not registered. It separates the content into smaller sentences and queries Google and Bing search engines for copies.
6. Plagium
Plagium is a tool that allows users up to 25,000 characters for a duplicate content check. It features an email alert when the article is copied and also offers premium memberships for a minimal fee.
7. Duplichecker
This free tool checks unpublished articles by either pasting or uploading the .txt file so the search can be completed. It will check the content and, in seconds, report whether it is unique.
8. Plagspotter
PlagSpotter is a duplicate content-checking tool that offers instant copies of web pages and automatically scans, detects and monitors a web page for duplicate content.
Sharing has pros and cons as far as SEO and Google is concerned. To make sure the content isn’t tagged as duplicate, a link back to the original website must be used. These links are valuable because it expands the author’s or business’s reach, but since the link takes the search back to the original site, it keeps the content original.
The downside of sharing is that the search is going to an outside website instead of the writer’s company, and customers may be missed. To prevent this, bloggers can either save their best content for another blog and ask that it be linked back to their site or rewrite the blog so duplicate content issues won’t happen. Or translate it into a different language and reach out to another market. Google doesn’t recognise words in a different language as duplicate content.
Why You Should Stay Away from Duplicate Content
Duplicate content can make Google and other search engines think you are a plagiariser. When you repost an article, search engines look at it as stolen or copied. This is called ‘content scraping’. If you plan to repost an older one, reword and rework it to make it fresh and new. Add graphics that are linked back to the original post or website.
Duplicate content confuses everyone. Readers enjoy knowing whose material they are reading. If you repost content and link it to different places the comments, likes and other sharing tools get separated and they don’t know what is your content and what’s someone else’s.
How to Use Previously Posted Content
Edit the Old Post
Reword, rework and edit the old post with some new, fresh ideas. There’s always something new and exciting to add. Give it a new name and tag, and you’ll have a brand new post to share with your readers in no time. Or add a new, more relevant example to highlight your point.
When Guest Posting Write New Content
It doesn’t matter if you are posting on your website or another’s; all posts must be unique. This goes both ways. Inviting a guest to write material for your blog and vice versa, but it must be unique to work for search engine rankings.
Refer to Analytics
Bloggers who use content management services, like WordPress websites, and email management services, like MailChimp.com, have so many analytics and reports at their fingertips.
Make it a part of your everyday routine to go to these reports and evaluate what blog content was successful and what content wasn’t successful. These reports will share statistics like open, click-through, and bounce rates.
Get to Know the Technical Terms Associated with Google
Open a new door to search engine optimisation and Google searches by researching and becoming familiar with technical terms. Words like keyword optimisation, search engine optimisation, crawling, canonicalisation, canonical tag, URLs, 301 Redirect, back end, and so many more.
Understanding this terminology will help you become a more professional blogger and use your written craft as a way to increase traffic to your site, increase your conversion rate and create unique, valuable blogs for your readers.
Google rewards sites that have unique content with higher rankings. Original content makes a company stand out among the thousands of others doing similar business. Check out some of the duplicate content checkers and see for yourself. For more information on duplicate content or for help with your in-house team and digital marketing, get in touch with us today.
