Reprinting
Articles: 10 Smart Strategies to Sidestep the Duplicate Content Debate
Author:Wendy
Maki
The popularity of writing articles
to market everything and anything online has never been greater -- and
shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Some article marketers throw caution to the wind and blast their
articles out to hundreds of article directory sites using article
submission software. Other article marketers manually submit articles
to just one or a few article directory sites out of fear of triggering
search engine duplicate content filters. The majority of article
marketers fall somewhere in between.
As article marketers and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts
debate the merit of submitting articles to multiple article
directories, webmasters continue to pick up reprintable articles and
content for use on their sites. These free reprint articles give
webmasters the opportunity to keep their sites fresh and provide their
visitors with quality content.
The paradox of article marketing is that this viral spread of articles
through the process of making them available for free reprinting is
precisely the objective of most article marketers.
Certainly, for standard article directories that lack customization and
use identical content management systems, and for those sites created
using automatically scraped content, the devaluing of duplicate content
by search engines can be a genuine concern.
Smart webmasters, however, who use reprint content recognize that SERPS
(Search Engine Results Pages) rank pages, not articles. With that in
mind, here are 10 smart strategies savvy webmasters can adopt when
using free reprint articles to create a win-win for everyone.
Article Reprint Strategy #1: Be selective and choose quality articles
for reprinting.
Become familiar with authors who produce quality content. Avoid PLR
(Private Label Rights) articles submitted by multiple authors, with or
without rewriting. Also, avoid articles produced by article spinner
software that generates multiple variations of a single article.
Behind the Page -- Customizing Reprint Content
Having selected appropriate quality content, webmasters can move on to
make changes behind the scenes, in the source code of the page the
article will appear on. Taking charge of the content of the metatags of
the page can help to make the presentation of the article unique.
Article Reprint Strategy #2: Change up the keywords listed in the
keyword metatag.
Reduce or increase the number of keywords used, or select different,
relevant keywords to highlight.
Article Reprint Strategy #3: Use a unique page title.
Do not use either the page title used by the article directory or the
article's title as the title for the page where the article is to be
reprinted.
Giving the article page a distinctive title gives the page a chance to
stand out on those SERPS that display the page title as the heading for
the search result. More importantly, using a different title will help
the page to appear unique rather than as yet another reprint.
Article Reprint Strategy #4: Write a custom description for the page.
Avoid using either the summary provided by the author or the first
sentences of the article for the page meta-description. Like the
article title, using the existing summary simply announces that the
article is reprinted content. Writing a new description for the page
provides added control over the keywords the page competes to rank for.
Also, for the search engines that use the page description in their
SERPS, the new description can be written to persuade searchers to
click to the article page.
On the Page -- Custom Reprint Content Presentation
Smart webmasters go farther and customize the presentation of the
reprint article on the page by adopting style and layout tactics used
by print magazines for decades.
Article Reprint Strategy #5: Write an original introduction or summary
to place before the article on the page.
Not only can an original introductory text box lure a reader into the
article, just as in print publications, it can also provide another
opportunity to control the specific keywords that the article page
targets, partly by pushing the reprinted article farther down the page.
Article Reprint Strategy #6: Add original page headlines and/or
subheads.
Webmasters can add original headlines and sub-headings to direct the
visitor's eye path and experience on the article page and to control
on-page keyword targeting.
Article Reprint Strategy #7: Use call-outs.
Do as print magazines and newspapers do, and pick out a memorable or
intriguing quote from the article itself. Copy that quote into a text
box in a larger font to emphasize it. This can be a powerful tactic
both to draw readers into the article and to emphasize target keywords.
Article Reprint Strategy #8: Add sidebars with short fillers of
original content.
Like print magazines, webmasters can use this technique to add value to
the reader experience by adding tips, short lists, product information,
quick statistics, or any other relevant information. It is also another
opportunity to add keywords.
Article Reprint Strategy #9: Interrupt articles, breaking them up into
sections.
Add text boxes with related content or relevant advertising part way
into the article. Print magazines regularly use this "continued on"
technique. On a web page, such text blocks can break up a single page
into sections. The can provide the opportunity to highlight other
information or advertising while providing yet another opportunity to
target desired keywords.
Article Reprint Strategy #10: Add related content below the article.
Added content could be as simple as a short list of links to related
pages or articles. It can be visitor comments. It can also be a
spotlight on a relevant product. Anything that follows naturally from
the content of the article and adds value to the visitor is a good
candidate. This kind of material can lead visitors to the next
destination and provides even more keyword content for search engine
optimization.
Winning the Reprint Game
Putting a bit of effort into customizing the presentation of reprinted
articles multiplies the benefit of using them and creates a win for
everyone.
The author/article marketer wins when the article is picked up by a
webmaster who presents the article effectively to readers and search
engines. The article directory wins when their crediting link is found
on a well-presented page. The webmaster who reprints the article wins
by offering quality content to visitors and by using articles for more
effective SEO.
Finally, the visitor wins by finding quality content presented in a
meaningful way. Even if a visitor discovers that they have encountered
the article before, on another website, the custom elements of the
presentation can still provide new value to their surfing experience.
(c)2007 Wendy Maki
May be reprinted in email newsletters and on web sites. Must be
unedited and include the resource box. All other rights reserved.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/article-
marketing-articles/reprinting-articles-10-smart-strategies-to-
sidestep-the-duplicate-content-debate-284423.html
About the Author
Find article submission site
listings at
YClepen.com -- THE
directory of article directories.
If you found these Articles helpful
perhaps the
following subjects
may
be of interest:
Accounting Autoresponders
Acne Aviation
Adsense Bankruptcy
Advertising Beauty
Aerobics Blogging
Affiliate Bodybuilding
Articles Branding
Attraction Breast
Cancer
Auctions Business
Plan
Audio
Streaming eBay
Alternative
Medicine
Babies
and Toddlers
Young
Baby
| 
