How Free Web Content Can Cost You Hidden dangers of using "free" website content	Visited: 1669 4.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Jessica Cox November 10, 2006

Would you wear a suit from a thrift store to a meeting with your clients? Then why settle for recycling free content on your website? Your website message effects inbound links, dictates your online reputation and can land you on the wrong side of a lawsuit. Most importantly, web content impacts customer trust. These directly affect your bottom line, yet many companies don’t see the dangers of using “free” content on their websites.

Recycling web content damages credibility

Your company is unique and so are your customers. They are looking for services that fit them like a glove, not something cobbled together from spare parts. In the online arena, your company website competes against hundreds of others. You have only seconds to convince visitors to stay.

Clients make value judgments about your company based on the quality of your website. They will be measuring you against the competition, so you must provide a compelling reason for them to choose you.

Custom content showcases your expertise and capabilities. When you provide these resources, customers learn to turn to you for answers. This gives you a foundation of trust to build on. Gaining this trust is critical to any online endeavor. Your website message must reflect the same level of excellence as your services.

Recycling web content also sends a message to your customers: “We have other priorities than providing what you want.” Propping up your site with off-target content and clashing voices can ruin the cohesive, seamless feel of your website.

Free articles cripple online public relations

A well-written article increases visibility and attracts qualified customers to your site for free. However, free articles are useless for getting your name into e-zines.

You can gain a wide audience and instant credibility by submitting your articles to e-zines and other publications. For best results, do a bit of digging. Check the back issues to see if your article fits in with what they publish. Check the distribution and target audience if that information is available.

Editors are looking for quality content with a fresh perspective. Why would they want to publish materials that have been passed around, crumpled and finally ended up in the lost-and-found? E-zine editors know their way around the free article databases. Don't risk damaging your relationship with them by re-submitting old content as your own.

Lack of unique content means lost links

Articles also provide a powerful resource for generating quality inbound links. As any expert will tell you, links are crucial for any well-rounded SEO endeavor.

Many search engines look closely at the links leading to your website. The more quality links you can get, the better your rankings will be. However, recycling free articles on your website can actually hamper link-building efforts.

Distributing articles with embedded links is a good way to generate links to your site as they are archived or posted. For this to be effective, you must avoid posting or publishing articles on disreputable sites. Google warns of linking to “bad neighborhoods” on the web. Check the reputation and PageRank of the site you are hoping to be published on to see how it will affect your own ranking.

If you offering meaningful, useful resources leading back to your website, you will see an increase in traffic. Also, with an arsenal of client-centered content, you can more easily convince other websites to link to you. If your “content” is simply a hodge-podge of recycled articles, you will have a difficult time gaining links

This is simply a matter of supply and demand. Other websites want link to yours because you offer unique and interesting resources. Why would they give you a second glance when hundreds of other sites post the exact same content? As more webmasters decide to launch link campaigns, reputable sites are inundated with link requests. Stand out from the crowd to increase your chances of successful link-building.

A word about copyright

Aside from credibility and linking issues, passing off copyrighted material as your own work can seriously damage your online reputation and your bottom line. Competitive companies work very hard to maintain a positive image online. Violating copyright can erase these efforts and make customers wary of your company. Why risk a lawsuit over in-effective content?

Don't make the mistake of thinking no one will notice. Writers regularly use sites like Copyscape.com to pick up copyright infringements. Aside from substantial legal ramifications, the last thing you want is to give a well-spoken author a reason to blast your company on their blog and every forum across the web.

For details on the legal aspects of copying internet content, I recommend this excellent article from the Franklin Pierce Law Center: "Copyright on the Internet".

How to utilize free articles

Expression is protected by copyright, not facts and ideas. Free article databases are an excellent place to look for ideas and topics that might suit your audience.

Put yourself in your customer's shoes. What would they be interested in? What questions do they have about your services or products? Once the creative juices are flowing, you can create resources tailored to your customer's needs and desires.

Web content - the double-edged sword

Web content is a powerful marketing tool. If used correctly, quality web content can boost traffic, encourage links, help you gain new customers and increase conversions. On the other hand, off-target content can transform a promising site into a resource drain. Don't let “free” content damage the potential of your website.