Google’s Spam Buster, Matt Cutts says: Don’t Stress About It!

Duplicate content is a huge topic in the search engine optimization (SE) space, and a great deal of blog content/post has been devoted to the topic.

But should we worry about duplicate content?

Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, said he wouldn’t stress about it – that is, unless it is spammy duplicate content.

In a video he makes the point that where legally required information eg Terms & Conditions, Use of Cookies etc is concerned there is unlikely to be any penalty and as such is not a concern.

But, how does that relate to other types of duplicated content? With the increase in content curation there is the danger of popular content being duplicated on a wider scale than before.

Should we still not worry about it?

Maybe, not! If it is not spammy duplicate content, as highlighted by Cutts, then perhaps it too is likely to escape any real penalty.

Traditionally, content was duplicated or scraped as it was thought that it might bring some benefit to the site where it was duplicated. And, in some cases it may well have done, at least, for a time!

Google’s Search Algorithms are now more sophisticated

In recent years Google, and other search engines, have become far more sophisticated and able to analyse and identify original content and with that the ability to identify duplicates of it.

Google’s stated aim is to provide the best and most relevant content to searchers and has confirmed that where appropriate original content will be given prominence in the SERPs with duplicates either downplayed or ignored completely.

The question that needs to be asked, “Is duplicate content of any value at all?” And, the answer may well be yes and no!

No, as it will have very little benefit in relation to your search rankings but Yes, by providing the content, assuming it is deemed valuable, in a curated form to your own following it will both benefit your own clients and to you as their first port-of-call for related support & services.

Link: Google’s Matt Cutts: Duplicate Content Won’t Hurt You, Unless It Is Spammy via searchengineland.com