Google update - or duplicate content?

Expanded from the thread started by cocococo

In an effort to collect actual data and compare information from all sites currently complaining of receiving a hit from the new Google penalty, I have started this thread in hopes that people who were hit will take the time to analyze their website using a useful tool provided by Abstroose.

Here is the summary of cocococo's thread:

cocococo said:

I see a lot of thread about how google update affected their site, and yes you might have been ranking for a while before, and then google caught up with your site....

I dig and dig and found that I got internal duplicate content, alot of people might think this is a myth, this is not. How do you find if you have internal duplicate content?....

No it's not Google update its your site. Check your site thoroughly if you think you have unusual drop in rankings like

Over optimisation (link profile been on par)
Duplicate content (both internal and external content)

After removing all this multiple internal content, the rankings return.

Click to expand...

And here is the (summarized) argument against it:

fc-dh said:

LOL dup content is defiantly (sic) a myth, i have about 200 sites with 200/500 pages with 94% dup content on the same .info domain, the only difference between the content is the city name...

...I know for a fact that dup content in anyway is a big, huge myth...

Click to expand...

And one more useful point:

testdrive said:

Although your point might be valid about the duplicate content, saying it outright that there is no update but it's only a site problem is funny.

Yes, it could be an onsite problem, but not necessarily mean there is no update.

I'll say this again to those who say that there's no need of an update to lose rank.


Now, lets assume it is about internal duplicate as you said. If this penalty has been in their algo for a long time, why is it it only hit now?

Again let's assume it about Dup Content, The reason it only caught up with so many site at the same time is they either include it in their algo, or they improve their current algo about "let again assume it about dup content"

Either way, there should be an update to hit so many sites at the same time.

Click to expand...

From that point people would give their input. The aim of this thread is to have everybody who has seen a drop in their site use the tool Abstroose has so kindly shown which can check for duplicate content within a site and see if they do have duplicate content.

Here is the tool: http://www.siteliner.com/

From that point, we can see for ourselves if these drop in rankings is really because of duplicate content and not a Google update. We just need to gather useful data and draw reasonable conclusions from there. This is very relevant to my interests and I hope many of your will participate.

I will begin.

None of my sites were affected or have seen significant drops.
I have no duplicate content.

Why open a new thread?

I want to ranked my site in major search engine. I have used different promotions but still not working for me. Do you have any suggestions?please tell this answer for this topic.

yes right require the thread. thanks for doing this thread. My site hit on 6 march. All backlinks are high quality. but tool http://www.siteliner.com/ show duplicate contents in site.

my site is over 1000 post, sad this tool in beta and can check only 500 posts. but helpful

my writers do duplicate posts that copyscape never find. My other sites on same pattern (no duplicate contents) never hit.

so i assume it may be insite duplicate. when google update, i am sure they target different things. like can be sape links, can be in site duplicate contents, over optimization.

so doing fix all, we should be on safe side.
duplicate contents is myth or not. why on earth we want to do duplicate, when sites doing good earning for you.

looking forward to read more people those hit recently in march 2013

Thanks.

I wonder how reliable is this siteliner it is giving me 79% duplicate content.. which I don't think it is that high. It seems that this service might take into account the website's frame.

I tested on a different site I have, that I am 100% sure I do not have duplicate content, before I post I check the site with copyscape... siteliner is giving me 77% duplicate content.

This tool does not work

John_SE said:

I wonder how reliable is this siteliner it is giving me 79% duplicate content.. which I don't think it is that high. It seems that this service might take into account the website's frame.

I tested on a different site I have, that I am 100% sure I do not have duplicate content, before I post I check the site with copyscape... siteliner is giving me 77% duplicate content.

This tool does not work

Click to expand...

The tool works pretty well for me here.

Just tried the siteliner website and I dont think it can be used to provide realiable information. It reports any word the same as another as duplicate content and its impossible to write anything without using the same words. It also reports that my about, contact us and privacy policy page have the same amount of words which they dont. It also reports that the sidebar content ie "top posts" or "menu" as duplicate content as the titles appear on every page if you are using a standard main page and right hand side sidebar. So I dont think it is of any use.

My main site got hit from position 3 to nowhere and now its back to position 23 for the main keyword however the ranking page is an inner page and not the homepage. I dont have any sape links and the content is all written by me.

mnhweb said:

Why open a new thread?

Click to expand...

My intent was to collect data from members who had been hit and to see if there is a connection with duplicate content or not. In other words, this thread is to put cocococo's theory to the test.

I cannot, however, vouch for the effectiveness of the tool given by Abstroose. Leith, though, says its good and for me, that guy's word is as good as gold.

Jackmitch said:

My intent was to collect data from members who had been hit and to see if there is a connection with duplicate content or not. In other words, this thread is to put cocococo's theory to the test.

I cannot, however, vouch for the effectiveness of the tool given by Abstroose. Leith, though, says its good and for me, that guy's word is as good as gold.

Click to expand...

Actually my point of the thread is not about duplicate content, due to my experience and the clients I have done consultation for that blame their previous link building company about their drop in ranking, after doing some deep analysation, you found that majority of the sites are not fit to rank let alone stayed there when there is any google updates.

And this particular site, just happen to have internal duplicate content, and this site has always stayed rank for each updates, until I implement something to the site I shouldn't have, after removing the culprits the rankings return. My point is for website owner to check their site, before blaming Google whenever they drop in rankings.

Also have always believe duplicate content was a myth, not until I dealth with over 40 local clients with duplicate content how badly it effected their site, you might be ranking right now with duplicate contents, good for you, but take it from someone who's has experience in dealing with this, and has several clients for the duplicate content case study, not just something I picked out of the blue.

Can somebody explain this site about the checking of duplicate content a little more ? Because it shows there are duplicate content for all of my sites and some of them are in top 3 for 2 years. I think it shows my widget with "recent posts" as a duplicate content, is it ? I am sure the articles are unique, I am always checking with copyscape premium + Advego before posting.

I just can't understand how is the site checking for duplicate content, because for some pages it shows "9 matches found covering 9 of 15 words - 60% of the page." my page is not 16 words for sure..

P.s One of my sites got hit, if someone is willing to help I am ready to share it will a reputable member, just to see if there is internal duplicate content, and if we fix it, am I going to regain my rankings. Just for the test. You can pm me.