Unique content: real added value instead of just other wording
What Unique Content means, how you avoid interchangeability and which content really works independently.
The topic often decides whether content is only available or actually meets the search intention. Usually, the biggest lever lies in better tailoring, clearer utility and less in mere amount of text.
What Unique Content means, how you avoid interchangeability and which content really works independently. This wiki page arranges the topic practically and shows, When priority arises, which mistakes are often and how you derive concrete measures from them.
Example: New formulations do not yet provide new benefits
Two location pages call the same services and differ only in the place name. Even completely rewritten sentences do not solve the lack of independence. Check whether there are real locations, contacts, processes or locally documentable features.
Independence means more than passing a text similarity test. If two sides fulfill the same task without their own added value, a common strong side can make more sense. Invented local references are not a suitable remedy.
When is content considered unique?
Anyone who has not yet dealt with the topic involuntarily asks: When is a text, a section of text or a single (possibly short) sentence to be described as unique? Do not countless statements repeat themselves? The answer to this is provided by the mentioned tools such as CopyScape. They measure repetitions of words and selectively sound the alarm (depending on the setting of the user) from four to eight words, which occur exactly in this order in another text.
Attention: The way in which search engine algorithms measure duplicated content is not known. It is to be assumed, however, that they proceed similarly. Is it now possible to rephrase a statement that has already been made by another author in such a way that it is not recognized as double content? The answer is: Yes, that is possible, the language allows it without problems. Here are some examples:
- It is forbidden to copy the content of other authors. – Conversion: Copying the content of other authors is prohibited.
- For SEO, unique content is very important: – Conversion: Unique content is very important for search engine optimization.
- The search engine algorithms of Google & Co. recognize duplicated content. – Conversion: Duplicate content recognizes the algorithms of the search engines (Google & Co.).
In the conversions of the first sentences, there are never more than three words repeated. Also changes in the endings of words (“content of other authors” vs. “content”)n from the point of view of Googlebots already create new, unique content.
How does a webmaster get unique content?
Webmasters can create content themselves, i.e. write their own texts, post their own pictures and videos and create their own graphics. You can also hire service providers or use them for images from publicly accessible databases. They must be strictly legal. For videos, pictures and graphics, of course, the same applies as for text, here too copyrights are protected. So a webmaster may only use shared content, which is partly paid and partly free of charge.
Regardless of whether a webmaster himself is sufficiently creative and has the time for it or whether he commissions a service provider, the question always arises to what extent new content is really original creations or (as in the case of the cited sentences) only reformulations of existing content. Own creations are considered the nonplus ultimate for the users and the SEO, but only if they have a certain level. Rephrasing texts as well as the use of existing images or graphics are not bad in principle.
There are things that someone has already really put to the point and that a new author can not formulate better, more meaningful or even sharper. But then there are the Crawlers If the search engines do not stumble upon duplicated content, reformulations are necessary. This is legitimate: among all texts on the net, 50 – 70% could be just such reformulations. And why not? On the topic of this article (“unique content” or the English equivalent) there are 2.91 billion contributions on the Internet as of June 2021. About “Fashion Trends 2021” gives 9.65 million contributions at the same time. About “electric cars” there are 5.21 million contributions.
No author in this world presumes to be able to top millions or billions of other contributions with his spiritual outpourings. Therefore, many guest authors in fact only rewrite existing things in such a way that no duplicates can be recognized. But if they really only follow their own thoughts (as happened in this post, so much in their own cause), they do so for reasons of efficiency. For topics in which the author is deeply involved, it is simply much faster. This in turn leads to the conclusion that webmasters should simply have their guest authors and other content suppliers produce without imposing major regulations on them. This still creates the best and truly unique content.