Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/3-ways-find-stolen-content-take-action/162831
The number of duplicative content on the web today has most probably shot up compared to what Google’s Matt Cutts said in 2013 where 25-30% of the content on the web is duplicative. Because of this widespread duplicate content, Google does not penalize it unless it is a pure spam. However, this does not mean we need to pay no heed to anyone who duplicates our content.
Find out if someone stole your content
The biggest reason is, when duplicate content exists, the filtering process as well as the deciding factors of which version of the content is to be displayed in search results becomes harder for Google to determine. This means the content you have spent your time and money on creating has lesser chance of appearing in the results but the duplicate version of your content will. This will damage your brand’s authority and can undermine your content marketing efforts significantly.
How to find stolen content
Copyscape
- This tool allows you to check existing URL for duplicate content on the web. While it is free to use, the number of results are limited. However, Copyscape Premium is ideal if you need to check your content in bulk.
They also have Copysentry services which automatically allows you to check your content weekly or daily and will alert you when copies are found.
DMCA
- DCMA or Digital Millennium Copyright Act details the rights of content owners have when they believe their content has been stolen. The site DCMA.com allows for 2 free scans of your website for copied content.
If you wish to apply for their Protection Pro plan which allows you to scan your website as much as you want, you can pay $10 per month.
Google Alerts
- A simple and free way to quickly and easily find copied content is through Google alerts. By simply copying some of your content and pasting them into the search query field, you can begin setting the parameters of whether or not you would like to be notified every day or once a week if Google finds copies.
Never ever neglect your content’s originality and authenticity. These are great tools to check for stolen content and it is quick, easy and of course, it costs less compared to the cost you can incur if you left them unchecked.
