Reprinting Articles: 10 Smart Strategies to Sidestep the Duplicate Content Debate

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.