Writing should always be creative and original, but what if you copy someone else’s ideas and content and put it forward as your own?
I’m afraid that’s not right; nobody should ever do this as it is an offense.
Subject research is essential to creating content. However, copying and pasting are not recommended – it creates a negative brand/individual reputation.
Plagiarizing content will not do any good to the rankings of your search engine. Instead, it will negatively affect the same. Also, nobody respects someone who plagiarizes content as everybody likes original content which is interesting to read. You might even get caught in legal battles, so it is best to avoid plagiarism altogether in your blog.
Here are a few tips which will help you to avoid plagiarism:
1. Don’t be in a hurry
Writing a blog is not something that you can do in an instant. Original content requires original ideas and a specific presentation style. So, research well and learn about the topic before beginning with the writing part. Keep in mind that if you don’t read or study your subject correctly, it is highly probable that your content will get plagiarized or become remarkably similar to other published content.
2. Research from multiple sources
You will undoubtedly plagiarize your exclusive content if you research from a single source. Seeking help from only one resource means the style of your entire content is the same as the source, and it will highly affect your blog in a not-so-good way. Hence, to avoid getting yourself into plagiarism, make sure to research using various sources.
By doing this, you will understand the subject on which you have to write the blog. Also, by reading various content on various sites, you will know what the issue focuses on and get an idea of how to write all about it in your own words. This will protect you from reaching your content plagiarized and help you come up with original ideas to write your blog.
3. Attribute
When you have to share a phrase that someone, in particular, has said or quoted something, you can write exactly the way you see the sentence in its source but do not forget to link it to the head. This way, you avoid plagiarism and positively affect your SEO.
4. Paraphrasing
It allows you to avoid plagiarism to a certain extent. If you are running short of time, you can paraphrase your content with the help of the source page. In this, all you need to do is write the sentences from the source in your own words. Just twist the sentence, and you will easily avoid plagiarism. Remember that the four words of your content and the head do not match; otherwise, Google will detect plagiarism very quickly.
You can use an anti-plagiarism software like Plagiarism Check that helps to detect plagiarized/similar content and grades the article/blog. Though commonly used for checking academic plagiarism, it is still recommended for preventing blog content due to its solid algorithmic capability.
While all the above tips can prevent you from plagiarizing your content, let’s discuss how you can keep your blog from being penalized by Google.
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Avoid duplicate or thin content
It is best to have original ideas and put them on your blog. Don’t ever try to copy and paste someone else’s content, as it will lead to Google penalties. Google supports content that is highly informative and quite lengthy. Including links to the references will also be a plus point to be on the good books of Google.
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Expand the anchor text
Make sure you don’t randomly put your anchor text in the content. This will not help you and will land you in a Google penalty. To avoid putting yourself in such a situation, make sure that you fit your anchor text in your content naturally. It should correspond to the full range.
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Avoid cloaking
In cloaking, there are two versions of your content – one is visible to Google and the other to the readers. Google does not at all tolerate such cloaking, and it does not entertain such blogs. So, avoid using such unacceptable formula as it will do you no good.
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Build up brand image
If you strengthen your brand image, you will most likely escape the penalties as Google does not pay much attention to brands and focuses more on other websites. You can make your website a brand by regularly engaging your followers on social media and designing a good-quality webpage with everything like the logo, image, address, and phone number, to name a few.
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If you want to create informative and engaging content, heed the above tips, and stay away from the Google penalty.
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