Web site content is one of the most important SEO tools available to business owners. You may have heard that using free directory articles and other free content on your Web site can boost your search engine rankings.
If you want to use duplicate content to add content to your site while you write your own content, it can be a good way to get your Web page up quickly without having to wait for your content to be finished. However, using duplicate content as a long-term strategy may not help your Web site attract visitors and get ranked well in the search engines. Unique content is what can really drive traffic to your site and boost your search engine rankings.
If you’re not sure that having unique content can help you, here are the top five reasons to use unique content on your Web site.
- Using unique content allows you to incorporate your specific keywords and optimize your site using those particular keywords. Duplicate content may not have the proper keywords for your site and, since most free content must remain exactly as it was originally written, you won’t be able to edit it to meet your needs.
- Writing your own unique content positions you as an expert in your field. When people search the Web for information, they are looking for reliable information from experts. Writing your own unique content allows you to show others your knowledge and may encourage people to purchase your products and services.
- Search engines change the way they look for and index information all the time. If any of the major engines starts to use a duplicate content filter, using duplicate content will mean that your content is completely filtered out. Not only will you not reach top ten rankings this way, you may not even get ranked at all.
- Having unique content on your Web site can improve your chances of having other quality web sites link to you. If you’re a Webmaster, who do you want to link to – a site with information that can be found at a dozen other sites or a site with original information that can help hundreds of people? Other Webmasters want to link to original information, so having unique content can encourage other site owners to link to you.
- Having unique content can help you avoid legal claims of copyright infringement or plagiarism. Not all Web content is free; make a mistake in determining the copyright status of a piece of information and you can find yourself in hot water. Writing your own unique content will prevent this from happening and could save you time and money on expensive legal battles.
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