What You Can Learn From Google Punishing Copycats

Last week Google updated their algorithm to improve the content shown in search results by cracking down on copyright violators. 

We know you are a great website owner who has never copied anyone else so this won't affect you. However, even in 2012 some people don't understand internet etiquette (tip: copy and paste is usually not a good idea) and need some tips on content creation. Just in case here are some details about the situation.

This update allows copyright owners to submit copyright removal notices to Google to remove links in the search results if the claim was valid in the courts (since courts decide on copyright infringement). This new signal means if there is a high number of valid copyright removal notices a site will appear lower in the search results. Google is receiving millions of these and has processed over 4 million URLs last month to remove them from the search results. This is good news for everyone involved who is creating good content as this process will help bring quality content to the top of the search results. It's yet another way to cull the spam from the results.

Here's what you can takeaway from this situation:

CREATE UNIQUE CONTENT!!

Yes, ground breaking, we know.

Creating unique content is key to success and it's the only way you can be sure to avoid copyright violations and also make the search engines love you. By now we hope everyone knows this but unfortunately some people still copy and paste content from other sites directly instead of using proper attribution and creating fresh, new content.

It's just like you learned in elementary school. Don't copy. Don't cheat. Do your own work. In case you missed the lesson then, here is another chance to learn it.