Search Engine Optimization - SEO and Website Marketing For Website Publishers - Copyright is Still Important - Timing Creates Page Rank

May 13th 2006

Search Engines

I think the Internet has changed our concept of what is important in copyright policy. For instance, Google gives relevance to date posted. In other words, you could steal a story from someone and post it elsewhere, but Google still gives the first article posted higher rank. Initially, people tried to change the date on their webpage or the date that the article was posted, but Google quickly began to discount that date, but determined the date from the date Google picked found it.

It could actually benefit a newspaper to have articles posted elsewhere, even without a link. If the story is about soccer, with the word soccer many times in it, the original page will gain a little more page rank if it is copied – compared to other different articles about soccer that were not copied.

Google, MSN, Ask and Yahoo keep their algorithms secret, so no one knows for sure how page relevance is determined. Obviously links have become the dominant relevance creator, but there are other factors that determine page rank.

Some companies benefit when others copy their copyrighted material, and may not actually seek actions to prevent it. Most would prefer an excerpt and link to their site, but with the world of forums and blogs, they just don’t have the time to enforce their rights.

We receive 10 or more article submissions per day. We are always looking for current events articles on controversial subjects. Sports writers are always in high demand as well, but most importantly we are looking for original content. We have little interest in posting rehashed Associated Press stories or stories that are already posted all over the Internet.

Of course there are other considerations when determining whether to post an article. Advertisers are important as well. In the world of pay-per-click advertising, not every article will pay the same. Articles about lawsuits, health and finance will pay more than sports, politics and science. There are exceptions, and this is not a rule, per se. An article on nano-technology will likely pay more than an article on an obscure medical condition.

There are many companies that specialize in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It may behoove any website publisher to study both web advertising and search engine optimization in their quest for a profitable website.