What Percentage of Duplicate Content is Acceptable

One of our readers asked the question, “What percentage of duplicate content is acceptable?”. This is actually a very complex question. The easy answer is that the website owner should not have any duplicate content. But what about things like addresses and phone numbers that might appear on many posts? Or what about warranty and guarantee information that might have its own page, but is repeated on other service-related pages? There are numerous legitimate situations involving duplicate content. Sometimes writers will quote other websites and provide links to them. Technically this is also duplicate content, however, as long as it is referenced and there are links to the original content it should be ok.

What Percentage of Duplicate Content is Acceptable – Search Engines

There is truly a fine line that writers use to create content and avoid being labeled as duplicate content. Even referrals are questionable if too much of the original content is used on different pages. What do the various search engines think about this? Obviously, they want to have all original high-quality content on all indexable pages.

Even Matt Cutts at Google admits that some content will be duplicated, however, it should be a small percentage of your overall content. He would prefer that writers address customer questions and try to help readers rather than spend time copying other people’s content.

We decided to include content that search engines love and answer the question.

• Posts that are in excess of 1200 words, however shorter posts that answer a reader’s questions are fine too. Don’t add fluff just to get to 1200. Provide real value to the reader.
• Use meaningful keywords, keywords that readers actually use in their searches. You may have to do some research to find them.
• Add Content that lasts. If it is relevant today, it should also be relevant 2 years from now. Make it readable with bullets and short paragraphs.
• Readers love pictures. Use pictures and label this properly so that they can be indexed by search engines and provide something of value to your readers.
• The title is the first thing your readers see. It should be engaging and interesting. You want readers to open your page based on the hints in the title and the metadata that the search engines provide.

The bottom line is to add valuable content that readers need to help them solve whatever problems they may have. Write it to last for many years and be relevant.

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