Articles and Duplicate Content

[keblack]

Posting duplicate articles at your site is indicated by many to be a bad mistake and will get punished by the search engines and can even get your site banned.

This is strange in some cases. If you have an article section at your site with many articles posted in it that have been written by others, you must include the article as is, including the author's BIO etc., if you copy the article from an article directory. You would think that would be okay because in some cases all you want to do for your readers is include good articles at your website. But, if the search engines punish you for this, it seems a little harsh ...

I know they want to see original content only and that's fine. But, what about Article Directories out there ? When people create articles, they submit them to countless article directories, which would mean they have duplicate content. And since they have thousands of website owners doing the same, why aren't Article Directories banned for duplicate content ?

I also heard from a very well known internet marketer, thatyou should place a blurb of your own at the beginning and ending of these articles you post at your site so that it won't be seen as duplicate content, but ...

A new site promoting the Secret Article Converter (the software recreates articles for you using new words) says that such action could get your site banned!

So, does anyone know the truth about all of this ?

I am just about to hire out some work for me at ELance to write some articles for me, since I don't have much extra time, but they also said that hiring out work can be a disaster. The work might not get done or the work might be poor or they might even copy other articles etc.

Anyone know the truth about duplicate content and hiring out work ?

This is a heavy duty topic I know, but it should be discussed more.

Thank you.

Ken

[richerbrat]

Ken, I don't know if this is true, but it would be scary if it was. Many people use articles from free sites, in their site content. Also, some writers, will sell second, third and so on, serial rights to their articles. If what you have heard is true, it will be bad news for a lot of people.

[boysbach]

Ken as far as finding someone to write for you it would depend on the person you hire. I have seen many articles which are really only a revamp of what is already there and that does nothing for me. But a good writer will be worth their weight in gold, and you will find that the price they charge isn't always a good yard stick to the articles they produce. Ask to see some of their work, do they have a specific area of knowledge they can write about? I think a lot of the marketers who say you can't do this or that have articles on their site which you can access as a member, pay me and you can use this attitude, but also post your article here and you wont see a cent.

Stick to the old fashion formula, get a good ghost writer and make sure the copyright is yours, naming them as the writer. That is what publishing houses have done over the years. I am a ghost writer for Harper Collins and I get mentioned in the book but the copyright belongs to them.

Bev