The problem of duplicate content goes far beyond the control of most web site owners. It is very easy to have two domain names pointing to the same home page.
http://mywebsite.com
www.mywebsite.com
More Examples:
http://www.example.com
https://www.example.com
http://www.example.com/index.htm
https://www.example.com/index.htm
http://example.com
https://example.com
http://example.com/index.htm
https://example.com/index.htm
Both of these URLs lead to the same web page. Unfortunately, Google sees two versions of the home page. Unfortunately, I use Cpanel, so I cannot do a 302 redirect, or at least, I haven't figured it out yet.
When all the arguments end, and the air clears, the only thing that Google does in most cases is stop ranking the web page (not site) where the duplicate content appears.
The thing you need to balance is. Is it better to rank high on each page of the website, or is it better to give my readers 200 'good' articles on a certain topic? Of course, you can rewrite every article at least once a year. That will solve the problem.
The purpose of this series of blogs is to encourage writers to submit free content articles for promotion - without fear.
And, if you do have fear, just reword some sentences, change a paragraph or two, use different words, cut a couple words, and then submit one version to the net, the second to your site.
Again, it is hard to measure whether you gain or loose.
On one hand, your content is not original.
On the other hand, you can gain hundreds of inbound-links, from websites with similar content (keywords) which will increase your rank.
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Showing posts with label Article Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Article Writing. Show all posts
Urban Legend, or not? Google's Duplicate Filter
If you are on a blog like writingup, then yes, use original content, and ping after every post.
I have posted at five major blog sites for three years. I am not big here - yet, but I make more money from this blog because of the traffic.
However, your personal website is different.
The Duplicate Content Penalty
Let’s look at the “Duplicate Content Penalty.” It has been around for years, and haunts society like an urban legend.
It is feared despite the near total lack of reasonable proof that it exists in the form that most web owners understand.
The Penalty suggests that if my site has the same content as yours, one will be penalized.
Then, you do a Google search and what comes up as #1 on the search? An article directory, and an article that has 15000 downloads.
As usual, Google's duplicate content penalty has nothing to do with duplicate content. And it’s not a 'real penalty. It’s just a by-product of how the search engines work.
What happens is 'authority' sites get ranked. So, your little site with 100 articles on how to make the world's best short bread has the same article on mixing batter as a massive, 10 000 page website that focuses on cooking cookies - they get ranked - you don't. This is not a penalty, it is the 'natural consequences of living in the net environment.'
But, let's say that you've dutifully posted your article on 50 000 other websites, with an inbound link to a single article (never your index page) - then wham - you've just knocked the poor cooking cookies website off the charts.
What to do --- What to do?
You can do two things.
1. Put new content on your site weekly. Syndicate actively. And build links.
2. Toss the whole thing and become a Social Networking expert like Sharon Hurley Hall - and laugh at the search engine crawlers all the way to the bank.
Learn to Write Free
Novel Writer Magazine
Writers Online Courses
Get Paid To Write
I have posted at five major blog sites for three years. I am not big here - yet, but I make more money from this blog because of the traffic.
However, your personal website is different.
The Duplicate Content Penalty
Let’s look at the “Duplicate Content Penalty.” It has been around for years, and haunts society like an urban legend.
It is feared despite the near total lack of reasonable proof that it exists in the form that most web owners understand.
The Penalty suggests that if my site has the same content as yours, one will be penalized.
Then, you do a Google search and what comes up as #1 on the search? An article directory, and an article that has 15000 downloads.
As usual, Google's duplicate content penalty has nothing to do with duplicate content. And it’s not a 'real penalty. It’s just a by-product of how the search engines work.
What happens is 'authority' sites get ranked. So, your little site with 100 articles on how to make the world's best short bread has the same article on mixing batter as a massive, 10 000 page website that focuses on cooking cookies - they get ranked - you don't. This is not a penalty, it is the 'natural consequences of living in the net environment.'
But, let's say that you've dutifully posted your article on 50 000 other websites, with an inbound link to a single article (never your index page) - then wham - you've just knocked the poor cooking cookies website off the charts.
What to do --- What to do?
You can do two things.
1. Put new content on your site weekly. Syndicate actively. And build links.
2. Toss the whole thing and become a Social Networking expert like Sharon Hurley Hall - and laugh at the search engine crawlers all the way to the bank.
Learn to Write Free
Novel Writer Magazine
Writers Online Courses
Get Paid To Write
You Can Become a Famous Writer
It always amazes me how people appreaciate good writing, whether it appears on a blog, in an article, or in a novel. The thing is, anyone can write well. You can write something that receives hundreds, even thousands of views. You can write a novel that sells thousands of copies. The secret is to write something that people want to read, by writing about life.
Take a look at two blog posts I wrote that received top hits, despite the fact they are on a blog community, www.communati.com, that has hundreds of great writers on the site.
My first article received almost 500 views in less than a few hours. Within 4 hours of being written, it was on the ‘most popular list.’ Gladiolas, Dahlias, Pear Trees and The Secrets of Life . This is nothing more than a look at a quiet summer afternoon that I spent with my family, and how it touched me, and also touched my readers. The writing is not literary and flowery. There is nothing poetic about it. I just wrote it in a way that made readers look into their own lives. This is the secret of great writing, making people look at their own lives instead of forcing them to see life through your eyes.
The second is a tutorial on saving time. I did not tell people to save time. Instead, I showed them how I save time. There is a big difference between talking about what to do and how to do. The world is full of tutorials that tell people what to do, but never gives them the tools to help them do it. How Much $$ Does Multitasking Costing You?
You’ll also notice that I made some great titles. Are titles important? Yes. They are so important that I have even returned to my blogs and changed titles. In some cases, the hits increased.
So, next time you write, don’t just put words on paper. Think about your readers. “Take care of your readers and they will take care of you.”
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Take a look at two blog posts I wrote that received top hits, despite the fact they are on a blog community, www.communati.com, that has hundreds of great writers on the site.
My first article received almost 500 views in less than a few hours. Within 4 hours of being written, it was on the ‘most popular list.’ Gladiolas, Dahlias, Pear Trees and The Secrets of Life . This is nothing more than a look at a quiet summer afternoon that I spent with my family, and how it touched me, and also touched my readers. The writing is not literary and flowery. There is nothing poetic about it. I just wrote it in a way that made readers look into their own lives. This is the secret of great writing, making people look at their own lives instead of forcing them to see life through your eyes.
The second is a tutorial on saving time. I did not tell people to save time. Instead, I showed them how I save time. There is a big difference between talking about what to do and how to do. The world is full of tutorials that tell people what to do, but never gives them the tools to help them do it. How Much $$ Does Multitasking Costing You?
You’ll also notice that I made some great titles. Are titles important? Yes. They are so important that I have even returned to my blogs and changed titles. In some cases, the hits increased.
So, next time you write, don’t just put words on paper. Think about your readers. “Take care of your readers and they will take care of you.”
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Article Tips and Tricks From the Pros
Many work at home business owners post a hundred free content articles in the article directories, before they realize that there is more to the free content link building program then first meets the eye.
While the article directories work, there is a little more involved for Internet Marketers who want to max out their links in a short time.
Article Directories And Newsletters
The article directories are divided by category, but most of the time, they are so vague that web publishers need to waste hours finding a great article.
The most common application for web articles is in newsletters. Most webmasters promise their visitors a bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter. Instead of collecting articles from writers, they use free content.
The way to appeal to these publishers is to write ‘dynamite’ titles. To many article writers use titles like, how to start a work at home business, start a business in ten days, etc.. Instead, solve a problem for the readers and use titles to sell the article. Titles like ‘WHAM! Make Money This Week,” “I Will Help You Earn a Living in Less Than a Year,” “Toss Internet Marketing Out the Door.”
This type of title makes the publisher look good in their subscribers eye. It looks like the publisher is giving their subscribers something new and innovative.
Evergreen Content
Many people ask what evergreen content really is. In short, it is anything which has been written about thousands of times, and can be found on any website.
It is easy to write evergreen content. Find a few versions on the web, compile the information, rewrite it, and there is another article ready for the web.
Unfortunately, most publishers have already published a few articles with the same information. They need something new.
Build an Article
1. The trick is adding one new piece of information near the top of the article. And – forget the introduction. The business is not writing for magazine publication. Keep To The Point.
2. Start the article by highlighting a problem, and then promise to solve the problem.
3. Break the article into easy to ‘skim’ sections. Each section shouldn’t just tell someone how to do something, it should show them HOW to do it.
4. End on a positive point that encourages the reader to move on to the next article. While it might be nice to have people click the link- it never happens. In fact, articles that end with a ‘hard sell’ and try to steal the reader, are often overlooked by newsletter publishers who want the visitor to buy from their site.
This section ‘Build an Article’ is an example of showing people HOW to write a good article.
Example of Telling people WHAT needs to be done: You need to build good web articles that solve problems the reader will face.
Pro Active Marketing
After a few months go to Google or Yahoo and search the article titles. Find out who is using the content, and why. Thy to gear future articles to favour the products sold on those web pages.
Another good idea is to contact the webmaster and ask them if they would like to receive a free article each month. Many will love the time saving idea.
Taking control of the article distribution will also give writers the opportunity to embed their link in the article using keywords. This creates an executive link, which is given a higher rank by the search engines.
Happy article writing -
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
While the article directories work, there is a little more involved for Internet Marketers who want to max out their links in a short time.
Article Directories And Newsletters
The article directories are divided by category, but most of the time, they are so vague that web publishers need to waste hours finding a great article.
The most common application for web articles is in newsletters. Most webmasters promise their visitors a bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter. Instead of collecting articles from writers, they use free content.
The way to appeal to these publishers is to write ‘dynamite’ titles. To many article writers use titles like, how to start a work at home business, start a business in ten days, etc.. Instead, solve a problem for the readers and use titles to sell the article. Titles like ‘WHAM! Make Money This Week,” “I Will Help You Earn a Living in Less Than a Year,” “Toss Internet Marketing Out the Door.”
This type of title makes the publisher look good in their subscribers eye. It looks like the publisher is giving their subscribers something new and innovative.
Evergreen Content
Many people ask what evergreen content really is. In short, it is anything which has been written about thousands of times, and can be found on any website.
It is easy to write evergreen content. Find a few versions on the web, compile the information, rewrite it, and there is another article ready for the web.
Unfortunately, most publishers have already published a few articles with the same information. They need something new.
Build an Article
1. The trick is adding one new piece of information near the top of the article. And – forget the introduction. The business is not writing for magazine publication. Keep To The Point.
2. Start the article by highlighting a problem, and then promise to solve the problem.
3. Break the article into easy to ‘skim’ sections. Each section shouldn’t just tell someone how to do something, it should show them HOW to do it.
4. End on a positive point that encourages the reader to move on to the next article. While it might be nice to have people click the link- it never happens. In fact, articles that end with a ‘hard sell’ and try to steal the reader, are often overlooked by newsletter publishers who want the visitor to buy from their site.
This section ‘Build an Article’ is an example of showing people HOW to write a good article.
Example of Telling people WHAT needs to be done: You need to build good web articles that solve problems the reader will face.
Pro Active Marketing
After a few months go to Google or Yahoo and search the article titles. Find out who is using the content, and why. Thy to gear future articles to favour the products sold on those web pages.
Another good idea is to contact the webmaster and ask them if they would like to receive a free article each month. Many will love the time saving idea.
Taking control of the article distribution will also give writers the opportunity to embed their link in the article using keywords. This creates an executive link, which is given a higher rank by the search engines.
Happy article writing -
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
Article Tips and Tricks From the Pros
Many work at home business owners post a hundred free content articles in the article directories, before they realize that there is more to the free content link building program then first meets the eye.
While the article directories work, there is a little more involved for Internet Marketers who want to max out their links in a short time.
Article Directories And Newsletters
The article directories are divided by category, but most of the time, they are so vague that web publishers need to waste hours finding a great article.
The most common application for web articles is in newsletters. Most webmasters promise their visitors a bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter. Instead of collecting articles from writers, they use free content.
The way to appeal to these publishers is to write ‘dynamite’ titles. To many article writers use titles like, how to start a work at home business, start a business in ten days, etc.. Instead, solve a problem for the readers and use titles to sell the article. Titles like ‘WHAM! Make Money This Week,” “I Will Help You Earn a Living in Less Than a Year,” “Toss Internet Marketing Out the Door.”
This type of title makes the publisher look good in their subscribers eye. It looks like the publisher is giving their subscribers something new and innovative.
Evergreen Content
Many people ask what evergreen content really is. In short, it is anything which has been written about thousands of times, and can be found on any website. It is easy to write evergreen content. Find a few versions on the web, compile the information, rewrite it, and there is another article ready for the web.
Infortunately, most publishers have already published a few articles with the same information. They need something new.
Build an Article
1. The trick is adding one new piece of information near the top of the article. And – forget the introduction. The business is not writing for magazine publication. Keep To The Point.
2. Start the article by highlighting a problem, and then promise to solve the problem.
3. Break the article into easy to ‘skim’ sections. Each section shouldn’t just tell someone how to do something, it should show them HOW to do it.
4. End on a positive point that encourages the reader to move on to the next article. While it might be nice to have people click the link- it never happens. In fact, articles that end with a ‘hard sell’ and try to steal the reader, are often overlooked by newsletter publishers who want the visitor to buy from their site.
This section ‘Build an Article’ is an example of showing people HOW to write a good article.
Example of Telling people WHAT needs to be done: You need to build good web articles that solve problems the reader will face.
Pro Active Marketing
After a few months go to Google or Yahoo and search the article titles. Find out who is using the content, and why. Thy to gear future articles to favour the products sold on those web pages.Another good idea is to contact the webmaster and ask them if they would like to receive a free article each month. Many will love the time saving idea.
Taking control of the article distribution will also give writers the opportunity to embed their link in the article using keywords. This creates an executive link, which is given a higher rank by the search engines.
Happy hunting -
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
While the article directories work, there is a little more involved for Internet Marketers who want to max out their links in a short time.
Article Directories And Newsletters
The article directories are divided by category, but most of the time, they are so vague that web publishers need to waste hours finding a great article.
The most common application for web articles is in newsletters. Most webmasters promise their visitors a bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter. Instead of collecting articles from writers, they use free content.
The way to appeal to these publishers is to write ‘dynamite’ titles. To many article writers use titles like, how to start a work at home business, start a business in ten days, etc.. Instead, solve a problem for the readers and use titles to sell the article. Titles like ‘WHAM! Make Money This Week,” “I Will Help You Earn a Living in Less Than a Year,” “Toss Internet Marketing Out the Door.”
This type of title makes the publisher look good in their subscribers eye. It looks like the publisher is giving their subscribers something new and innovative.
Evergreen Content
Many people ask what evergreen content really is. In short, it is anything which has been written about thousands of times, and can be found on any website. It is easy to write evergreen content. Find a few versions on the web, compile the information, rewrite it, and there is another article ready for the web.
Infortunately, most publishers have already published a few articles with the same information. They need something new.
Build an Article
1. The trick is adding one new piece of information near the top of the article. And – forget the introduction. The business is not writing for magazine publication. Keep To The Point.
2. Start the article by highlighting a problem, and then promise to solve the problem.
3. Break the article into easy to ‘skim’ sections. Each section shouldn’t just tell someone how to do something, it should show them HOW to do it.
4. End on a positive point that encourages the reader to move on to the next article. While it might be nice to have people click the link- it never happens. In fact, articles that end with a ‘hard sell’ and try to steal the reader, are often overlooked by newsletter publishers who want the visitor to buy from their site.
This section ‘Build an Article’ is an example of showing people HOW to write a good article.
Example of Telling people WHAT needs to be done: You need to build good web articles that solve problems the reader will face.
Pro Active Marketing
After a few months go to Google or Yahoo and search the article titles. Find out who is using the content, and why. Thy to gear future articles to favour the products sold on those web pages.Another good idea is to contact the webmaster and ask them if they would like to receive a free article each month. Many will love the time saving idea.
Taking control of the article distribution will also give writers the opportunity to embed their link in the article using keywords. This creates an executive link, which is given a higher rank by the search engines.
Happy hunting -
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Freelance Writing and Research
I've talked to a few new freelance writers recently on writing articles. I noticed a disturbing trend among the new writers that will eventually come back and kick them.
I've named this trend cocooning. This refers to writers who close themselves up with their writing, in an office, and work. They completely tune the world out.
These writers do not read books, magazines, watch television shows on their niche, watch videos, take workshops - the list goes on.
The disturbing part of this trend is that these same freelance writers have time to watch movies, favorite shows, or read a romance novel. While this type of de-stressing is important, it is not conducive to creating a 'profitable mindset' in the freelance writer.
For example, I can usually tell which of my students watch a lot of sitcoms and which ones read - just by the way they talk.
Last Friday's chat was on passive voice (www.enspirenpress.com - 7 eastern - all welcome). We discussed how passive voice - the voice we talk in - creeps into our writing.
The same thing happens when we watch television. We loose our freelance writer's voice and end up writing like a character on television. Also, when we avoid learning from our niche, we never develop the 'industry lingo' that our clients consider 'good writing.'
There are ways to 'tune in.' One great way is to tune into a Podcast. These are Internet radio stations, or 'streaming links' that feed you a constant diet of information on your topic.
Another way is to sign up for industry newsletters - and read them.
If you own cable then I am sure you'll find some 1/2 decent shows. I write 30 home decorating articles a month. To feed myself, I watch a lifestyle talk show. I listen for new lingo, products, or - anything - that I haven't seen on the web. I don't have cable - so there might be more out there.
My #1 resource - magazines. Their articles are timeless. I have hundreds of magazines that I use to inspire myself.
My #2 resource – association newsletters. These newsletters give you better information than is on the web, and usually hasn't been cannibalized – yet.
My #3 resource – Forums… but I never use the information as 'truth' just opinion.
http://inspiredauthor.blogspot.com/
I've named this trend cocooning. This refers to writers who close themselves up with their writing, in an office, and work. They completely tune the world out.
These writers do not read books, magazines, watch television shows on their niche, watch videos, take workshops - the list goes on.
The disturbing part of this trend is that these same freelance writers have time to watch movies, favorite shows, or read a romance novel. While this type of de-stressing is important, it is not conducive to creating a 'profitable mindset' in the freelance writer.
For example, I can usually tell which of my students watch a lot of sitcoms and which ones read - just by the way they talk.
Last Friday's chat was on passive voice (www.enspirenpress.com - 7 eastern - all welcome). We discussed how passive voice - the voice we talk in - creeps into our writing.
The same thing happens when we watch television. We loose our freelance writer's voice and end up writing like a character on television. Also, when we avoid learning from our niche, we never develop the 'industry lingo' that our clients consider 'good writing.'
There are ways to 'tune in.' One great way is to tune into a Podcast. These are Internet radio stations, or 'streaming links' that feed you a constant diet of information on your topic.
Another way is to sign up for industry newsletters - and read them.
If you own cable then I am sure you'll find some 1/2 decent shows. I write 30 home decorating articles a month. To feed myself, I watch a lifestyle talk show. I listen for new lingo, products, or - anything - that I haven't seen on the web. I don't have cable - so there might be more out there.
My #1 resource - magazines. Their articles are timeless. I have hundreds of magazines that I use to inspire myself.
My #2 resource – association newsletters. These newsletters give you better information than is on the web, and usually hasn't been cannibalized – yet.
My #3 resource – Forums… but I never use the information as 'truth' just opinion.
http://inspiredauthor.blogspot.com/
SEO Articles vs. Human Articles
Web2.0
That one new buzz word will shortly change how the search engines rank websites. Web2.0 does not rely on the savvy and wit of the SEO manager. In fact, many people believe that the Internet bottomed out in 2001. It didn't - instead, it was the birth of web2.0
This was the year when big business lost control of the Internet.
Web 1.0 Web 2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> itunes
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
domainname speculation --> search engine optimization
page views --> cost per click
screen scraping --> web services
publishing --> participation
content management systems --> wikis
directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness --> syndication
SEO articles --> Human Consumption articles
While freelance writers do not need to learn how to optimize for client's articles - but they do need to learn how to build their own sites if they want to be taken seriously and win big clients.
I just wrote a course on building a web presence. While I do not believe that CMS are out (our firms still use Joomla) we have noticed that you must change as much of the code in the templates and in the system as you can. There are so many CMS out there that Google is seeing them as duplicate content and leaving long before they reach the content. (Theory - If Google reads 200 words of duplicate content than it will not crawl the rest of the article).
I have seen many successful websites built on WordPress and b2evolution blog platforms - but the same thing applies - you need to change code. I know someone who will alter your site for $20.00.
The main difference between Web2.0 and the old system is found in the site's content. Yes, there must still be sticky content. What good is syndication to bring in new visitors if they can read the entire site in an hour and then leave - forever.
The mission of web2.0 is 'harnessing collective intelligence'
One major component that most online business owners miss is the wikipedia encyclopedia - ADD TO IT - as long as some of the links go back to your resources!
Articles
The most important thing is to remember that keyword density is out. Write for users. Use sub titles every 100 - 150 words, and put your keywords in those. Use the heading code (h1, h2, h3, = IN ORDER). Last, include links to other webpages that include the same content/keywords.
These things will increase your rank much faster than any SEO program. If you want to rank high then I have two words for you - social networking.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
That one new buzz word will shortly change how the search engines rank websites. Web2.0 does not rely on the savvy and wit of the SEO manager. In fact, many people believe that the Internet bottomed out in 2001. It didn't - instead, it was the birth of web2.0
This was the year when big business lost control of the Internet.
Web 1.0 Web 2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> itunes
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
domainname speculation --> search engine optimization
page views --> cost per click
screen scraping --> web services
publishing --> participation
content management systems --> wikis
directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness --> syndication
SEO articles --> Human Consumption articles
While freelance writers do not need to learn how to optimize for client's articles - but they do need to learn how to build their own sites if they want to be taken seriously and win big clients.
I just wrote a course on building a web presence. While I do not believe that CMS are out (our firms still use Joomla) we have noticed that you must change as much of the code in the templates and in the system as you can. There are so many CMS out there that Google is seeing them as duplicate content and leaving long before they reach the content. (Theory - If Google reads 200 words of duplicate content than it will not crawl the rest of the article).
I have seen many successful websites built on WordPress and b2evolution blog platforms - but the same thing applies - you need to change code. I know someone who will alter your site for $20.00.
The main difference between Web2.0 and the old system is found in the site's content. Yes, there must still be sticky content. What good is syndication to bring in new visitors if they can read the entire site in an hour and then leave - forever.
The mission of web2.0 is 'harnessing collective intelligence'
One major component that most online business owners miss is the wikipedia encyclopedia - ADD TO IT - as long as some of the links go back to your resources!
Articles
The most important thing is to remember that keyword density is out. Write for users. Use sub titles every 100 - 150 words, and put your keywords in those. Use the heading code (h1, h2, h3, = IN ORDER). Last, include links to other webpages that include the same content/keywords.
These things will increase your rank much faster than any SEO program. If you want to rank high then I have two words for you - social networking.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
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