Duplicate Content Earns a Google Slap

Google recently announced changes to their algorithms to help control “webspam” (which, according to Google is “junk you see in search results when websites try to cheat their way into higher positions in search results or otherwise violate search engine quality guidelines”).

Matt Cutts, head of Google’s webspam team, in regard to the upcoming changes, said:

“We’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content.”

What this means is that Google is taking effective steps to punish those who publish websites containing plagiarized content or sites with a low level of quality site content.  As a result, those of us who build websites containing original, high-quality content should see a boost in our search rankings – and that’s good news for web searchers and business owners alike!

Caroline Melberg

Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimization & Social Media Strategist

Published on: February 10, 2011