How do you handle plagiarism in SEO copywriting?

Ideally content should be written or reviewed by a subject matter expert — that guidance about expert review was a recent addition in September 2023 to Google’s Helpful Content documentation, for example. If content is created with expert oversight, that should apply not only to the words on the page, but also the sources behind them. An expert should be able to verify whether sources are credible or not. These credible sources can then be linked contextually and/or listed below the content, depending on what makes sense for users. Linking out to relevant and authoritative sources isn’t about rankings, but rather establishing trust with and building quality content for your audience. And like content, sometimes sources need refreshing too.

Additionally, self-plagiarism can also be an issue. I’ve seen plagiarism tools also serve the purpose of finding duplicate content on a website, whether boilerplate copy sections or fully duplicated pages. If duplicated copy makes up a large part of the main content of the pages — as opposed to a mission statement or CTA replicated across the bottom of otherwise distinct pages — that could result in issues with visibility in search, such as through canonicalization. I’ve also seen duplicate copy issues happen with, for example, low-effort service location pages. If altering words with the same basic meaning is the only means of differentiation, that’s unlikely to create the level of quality content a user (or Google) would be wanting.

When quoting content from a source, particularly longer passages, I like to use the <blockquote> HTML element. This is intended to denote that text is a quote. Text in a <blockquote> element will also typically be indented and styled differently from normal paragraph text, further helping the reader identify it’s from another source. The source usually then gets referenced beneath the quote. While paraphrasing can be useful in certain cases, such as to conserve space or improve readability, like simplifying technical jargon for more general readers, some readers may appreciate seeing the original quote provided with analysis around it, which also helps reduce the risk of misrepresentation.

Well said! Competitive research is often a useful part of content creation. Yet while top ranking search results for a query can shed light on the types of information users are looking for to satisfy their search intent, simply mimicking or paraphrasing those sources to create your own content won’t provide the level of information gain or value-add that sets your page apart, whether in the eyes of search engines or, most importantly, the people you’re ultimately creating it for. By understanding your users’ search intent, however straightforward or multifaceted, and then using your expertise or experience in the topic to spot gaps and opportunities for improvement, you can create unique, people-first content that can do well in search.

You can also add value and insights by sharing a clear opinion on a subject. This not only helps you avoid plagiarism, since an opinion is completely your own, but has many other benefits as well. It helps you form a connection with like-minded people for instance. To others it might be thought provoking. This way you avoid the bland content that is often generated by rehashing other people's content or using AI and helps you stand out. In the end, this also supports your seo efforts.

When filing DMCA's with Google to remove content from search that is plagiarizing your own, go overboard on documentation. Show things like screenshots with post dates of both your content and the offending content. Use the Wayback Machine if you need to. I recommend having a lawyer send a cease and desist to the site owner. Lookup the owner using Whois. If none is available you can contact the site's host to let them know that a site on their network is stealing content. In both cases, a letter from a lawyer will move things more quickly than an email from yourself.