With their latest update, Panda 4.0, Google is once again taking a closer look at your content marketing strategy and quality of your content featured on your website. Is your content original? It is unique? What kind of value does our content provide? Does your website feature syndicated content? Depending on how you answer Google’s questions, depends on how well your website is ranked.
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Content syndication is not being a guest blogger or content curation, it is when multiple websites feature the same content. Syndicated content is not original or unique, and while it may provide value, you are competing with the other websites that are posting the same valuable, syndicated content that you are. Google is not shy about playing favorites, and will choose which website to rank higher if you and another website feature the same syndicated content. Don’t miss out a chance to be ranked on page one because you and another website feature the same content.
John McTigue from Kuno Creative wrote a great article, ‘Will Google’s Panda 4.0 Kill Content Syndication?’ and in it he writes, “Google will no longer tolerate websites that publish other people’s content without adding value or that publish lots of “thin content” for purposes of SEO enhancement”. McTigue also mentions, “if you are using syndicated content for SEO or to populate your website with content, it is time to rethink your marketing strategy and your content efforts. Google is looking for quality content that offers a unique viewpoint that will address the needs of their users.
Another important factor to consider when strategizing your content efforts is engagement. When determining the quality of your content, “Google also analyzes ‘user signals’. In other words it compares how searches have interacted with a page when it has appeared in search results to assess how well it may have satisfied their needs”, Forbes says. Don’t miss out on any engagement opportunities because you and another website share the same content. Own your authorship and expertise. Make sure your company’s website benefits from your knowledgeable information.
Google wants to provide their users the best and most relevant content, and are going to great lengths to ensure that when their users search for something, they get exactly what they’re looking for. So, the more original, unique and relevant content your website features, the better your website will be ranked. If your website features spammy, static or syndicated content then Google will come after your website’s ranking. Google has proven this with the Hummingbird update, and now with Panda 4.0.
Want to know more about Panda 4.0? Register for our upcoming webinars, ‘The Power of the Panda on August 27th and August 28th.