Copyrighted Content

We typically suggest that when a client needs new content written or existing content updated that they go through the Content Team here at TSI.

If the client instead wants to provide content, we need to make sure that it is original content and not pulled from a copyrighted source.

This can be done easily by copying and pasting snippets of the content into a Google search to see if it pulls up the same content verbatim on other websites. If the content is on other sites we can assume that the client most likely does not own the content and will need to request proof of permissions to use or have our Content Team write similar content.

When we suspect content may be pulled from another source we usually see the following red flags:

• The document has mismatched fonts and text sizing that don't make sense. This is usually caused by text being copied/pasted from different sources that have unique styling. For example one site uses a serif font and one uses a sans serif font.
• The content comes across as templated, like it can fit any business and just as the client's name copied and pasted in strategic spots.
• FAQ/Glossary content that comes in bulk and seems unlikely that the client would write that much.
• The text goes in depth about a third party product that the client uses or sells.

When you have content that is duplicated on another website, Google has to decide which page to show first since more than one page on the internet now has the exact same content. This means that our client's site may show up lower than the other search result/s with the duplicated content.

The best way to combat this is to have our Content Team write fresh content for our client!

Google Policies