WARNING: Avoid Duplicate Content at All Costs!
When you read this warning, it seems a little overstated. How bad could duplicate content really be? The consensus among industry experts is that duplicate content can hurt you. Even copying meta descriptions and page titles isn’t ideal—and we will explain why.
What Is Duplicate Content?
You have to understand that Google and other search engines crawl your website to determine how to index your pages. According to Google, if it believes that you are using duplicate content to manipulate your page rankings or deceive web users, “the ranking of the site may suffer, or the site might be removed entirely from the Google index, in which case it will no longer appear in search results.” You might not have had bad intentions, but you certainly don’t want to harm your website’s chance of ranking high among search engine results.
Something You Might Not Have Considered
While avoiding duplicate content might not be something that is news to you, copying meta descriptions and pages titles could be. While there's no guarangee that you will be penalized by search engines for duplicating your page titles and meta descriptions, but you are definitely not helping your cause.
If your page titles aren’t based on the actual content of the page, why would Web visitors stay on your website? Taking it a step further, why would they even bother to click on your link in the search results page if the meta description is generic and offered no compelling reason to visit your website? You need to put some thought into your page titles and meta descriptions. Don’t simply copy and paste.
Are You A Lawyer Or podiatrist Who Wants To Learn How Solid Content Can Earn You More Clients?
If you are seeking a trusted, authoriative partner to help you write content that not only attracts but actually converts into clients, Foster Web Marketing is here to help. Contact us online or call our office directly at 866.497.6199 to schedule your free consultation. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.
