Article Marketing and Duplicate Content Part I:

Will Google Ban My Site for Publishing Someone's Article

or for My Article Being Published at Other Sites

Not too long ago, article marketing (or article distribution/submission to article directories) is one of the most effective techniques to increase traffic and build incoming links (also good for Search Engine Optimization).

Basically, you distribute or submit your own articles to article directories and allow re-printing of that content by any publishers in the World Wide Web - essentially with your resource box (i.e., "about the author") and web site link attached as a prerequisite.

This seemingly simple and no-cost technique inadvertently gave rise to the many article distribution sites as well as software that automate mass submission or distribution of articles to hundreds of article directories.

And not forgetting those software that can generate a keyword rich article for you by simply adding several keywords and keyphrases, albeit not properly written and don’t make sense.

Coupled with the proliferation of article directory and Private Label Rights sites, all of a sudden, article marketing looked more like a black hat strategy (e.g., incoming links artificially increased over a short period, etc.), which the Search Engines (SEs) like Google frown upon.

That is why currently, there is much confusion with regards to the effectiveness of article marketing in the coming year and beyond mainly caused by talks in the Search Engine circle that Google (and maybe Yahoo!) are predicted to further filter off duplicating content/article.

The primary confusion actually lies in how exactly Google and the other leading SEs define "duplicate content".

As article distribution (especially mass submission) will eventually result in duplicate content, will web sites be penalized/banned by Google and other SEs for publishing someone else's article, or for your article being published at so many other sites?

I don't think so.

This is not an educated guess but just some common sense based on the following:

The syndication industry is not only here to stay but is expanding exponentially, thanks to the growing popularity, technology and user-friendliness of RSS and the like. Even Google and Yahoo! used syndicated news and articles heavily on their sites. They would not banned themselves, would they now?

Distributing your article to article directories is similar to submitting your web site to the SEs and Search Directories. I don't see how it can be classified as link spamming..., unless you mass submit to hundreds of directories in one click of the mouse. This may result in a sudden rise in the number of links pointing to your site over a short time, and will make the SEs suspicious.

I believe that the SEs's no. 1 definition of "content duplication" is that a site's content is duplicated at other sites (at most times, with the same owner/webmaster). Not so much article duplication in retrospect.

So logically, I don't think your site will get banned for publishing someone else's article, or for your article being published at someone else's site.

Rich Adz is a part time entrepreneur and content writer, who runs several

online and offline businesses such as richADZ, a site that offers information

on how to build successful businesses on a part time basis. Rich is also

the founder of e-borneo.com, the leading Borneo travel site on the Net.

Copyright © richADZ.com

See Part 2 of Article Marketing and Duplicate Content

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