Press Delete, and Your SEO Copy is Gone – Wrong!

Beware What You Post Online – It’s Protected!

By Melanie Rembrandt
Last month, I attended a seminar by an FBI Search and Recovery Diver. He showed us all of his high tech equipment and talked about how he searches for missing people, evidence, and other items underwater. And while it was cool to try on his 35-pound mask, one thing he said really stood out to me…
“People think they can just throw things into a body of water, and they won’t be found. They are wrong.”

This same idea is true on the Web.

For example, many people don’t realize that if you post something on the Web or send an e-mail and then delete it, that information is still out there in cyberspace.

If someone wants to find it, they can.

The same goes with copying content (like articles, newsletters, blogs, eBooks, etc.), business procedures (search engine optimization, or SEO, strategies, Website layouts, e-mail campaigns, etc.), and intellectual property. If you plagiarize information from others, it will always be there, and others will know. The same goes if you post erroneous information.

You can’t take it back.

And you may not think this is a problem, but do you have full control over all of your team members?

They may think it’s easy to copy work from others and post it online – not knowing that this is wrong. In fact, this may be going on right now without your knowledge, and it’s not something to take lightly. After all, you and your business can suffer major, legal ramifications from stealing and using information that doesn’t belong to you. Plus, this unethical behavior can ruin your business and reputation.

With this in mind, here are a few things to share with your employees about posting SEO content:

1. Unique data wins.

If you are swamped with work and approaching deadlines, don’t resort to copying work from others. Not only will the original authors find out that you are using their work, but you’ll be penalized by the search engines as well. The search engines like unique copy, and by taking the time to write original content, you’ll receive higher search-rankings.

2. Get organized.

If you have too much work to do, communicate with your team members. Instead of resorting to unethical plagiarism, figure out your schedule in advance. What needs to be accomplished and when? When overloaded, it’s best to distribute the work to other team members or outsource the work to an outside professional.

3. Teach ethical behavior.

Let your staff members know what you expect of them, and that copying work from others is not acceptable. Also, teach your team to think and proofread carefully before they post something online, send an e-mail or share some gossip. After all, once they communicate erroneous information over the Internet, it’s a mistake that will be there for a long time.

Keep It Legal and You’ll See Better Results.

Copying and using work from others can be very easy and simplify your work-life. But know that everything you post online can (and will) be found by others. There are now services that can look for plagiarized work online, and the search engines don’t like to see copies of the same content.

… So instead of posting data that does not belong to you, take the time to get organized and write original content, or hire a professional, SEO copywriter to help you. Also, let all of your team members know that unethical behavior like this is not acceptable.

Then, way, you’ll be able to provide unique and valuable data to your customers and the search engines. And this means you’ll receive higher search rankings, more site visitors and better results – while avoiding legal issues!

What are you going to do today to improve ethical procedures at your business?

 
If you need help writing valuable copy for your customers and the search engines, check out Melanie’s site at www.rembrandtwrites.com. As an experienced content strategist and publicist, Melanie Rembrandt helps business owners boost sales, awareness and credibility fast!