Web Content and Plagiarism

Borrowing, stealing, altering, editing and stuffing Web content to get a better page ranking

Just this side of plagiarism, there are Web design and other companies that are promising search engine optimization but are actually editing existing content from other Web sites and stuffing the content with select key words and phrases.

These techniques are said to rank a Web page high, maybe even number one, among the search engines within 90 days. But how beneficial is it to the reader/prospect, or to the client, if the content reads poorly and there is little benefit of useful information?

Apparently this practice is widespread and far too little Web content is original. Some original content may be coming from some freelance source in another country who earns a few pennies per word, and then that content is edited for use by the Web designer.

A paragraph is altered and repositioned here and there perhaps, but mostly it's another version of someone else's work that the distant freelance "copywriter" likely stole from a Web site or several Web sites.

Is that not plagiarism, when the original author or writer is not given credit for the original work written?
More importantly, if the reader is not coming away with the benefit of superior information, then the business who's Web site the reader is seeking information from is of little or no better value to the visitor than the site(s) from which the original content was acquired.

How often have we researched information on the Internet and found multiple sites with exactly the same text (not even changing the content to read differently) in a blatant act of plagiarism?

How often then do visitors to a site click on various sites and then dismiss them because the content is redundant to someone else's site?

It would seem to me that the clients who are sold the idea that their Web site would rank high on the search engines would also want to keep an eye on the actual conversions of visitors to customers. What is the sense of having a listing where people may see it, if the site is not generating sales or at least leads?

After all, the Web is a tool for informing and educating people, like a billboard, an advertisement in a newspaper or magazine, an encyclopedia, and to some extent a video or audio broadcast, all in one place.

Certainly it is worth it to the client to use a writer or designer that is generating compelling reasons to call or visit the business by at least improving ideas derived from other places. Or is the rush to get to the top of the search engine results clouding the client's mind as to what is really important to their business?

Satisfied customers know that substance is more valuable than flash or cheap prices. Satisfied customers are willing to pay more to receive more value.

So ask yourself, are you getting all you are paying for?