When the uniqueness of the content is not required
In any article on SEO optimization, you can find the rule that for successful promotion in search, the content on the site must be of high quality. But at the same time, SEO specialists argue among themselves about what is included in the concept of “quality content” and how to make it not look like other publications on the Internet. Some say that the uniqueness of the text on the site is the basis for the SEO optimization strategy (it is this parameter that allows the web resource to occupy leading positions in the search engine). Others believe that texts do not necessarily have to be unique – the main thing is that they interest visitors and bring benefit. Which of them is right and what is the opinion of the experts of our agency, we will tell later.
The uniqueness of the SEO text makes it possible to rise in the search. But, if the created content is not intended for SEO, it is enough to make it original. A high percentage of uniqueness is not necessary at all if it is e-books, cases, tables in PDF format. That is, it is any content that will not need to be promoted in search results.
In addition, a high percentage of uniqueness is not always necessary if it is:
- product cards. It is difficult to reach above 90% in texts where there are many technical terms, and identical words;
- news. Actual information (names, dates, names of settlements, numbers, statistics) will be repeated. For such fragments, it is important to place a link to the source resource;
- analytical materials. When writing them, it is also necessary to use references to sources.
What should be the uniqueness of the text?
To determine what the uniqueness of the text should be, you need to know why it was written. This is because each task has its specifics, there is no single model. Only indicative figures can be offered:
- blog article, service description in the category. In this case, the uniqueness can be within 85–90%;
- product card or catalogue page. The indicator shouldn’t fall below 70-85%;
- The uniqueness can be higher than these numbers, but less is not recommended.
It is also worth considering that for new web projects it is important to try to increase the uniqueness of the text to a maximum of 100%, which will help the site take a high place in the ranking. At the same time, do not forget that you cannot sacrifice the quality of the material. It should be easy to read and meaningful. Do not be afraid to use quotations, long statements, or facts – without this, the publication may lose its meaning. Read more about what an SEO article is and how to write SEO texts in our blog.
A good way to determine the acceptable percentage of uniqueness of texts is to analyze similar materials of competitors. Having set the average value, you can take it as a basis for the future.
How to check text for uniqueness?
Several methods are used for this. The first is the simplest. You can copy small snippets and then paste them one by one into the browser’s search bar. If there is a part in which 6-7 words in a row are highlighted in bold (matches), then most likely it will have to be redone. It is better to use this method with different paragraphs because it will not be possible to get a complete picture one fragment at a time.
But any SEO specialist will tell you that for larger volumes, the previous version of the check is simply not suitable. To be sure that your site is filled with unique content, it is better to use special services for searching for plagiarism.
The principle of operation of such programs is approximately the same: they evaluate uniqueness while using shingles (fragments of text). The system enters these parts into the search and looks for matches on the Web. Undoubtedly, you will see the result much faster than with manual input. The user of such an online tool receives a response with an assessment of the quality and uniqueness of the checked text.
Note that the results on different services sometimes differ significantly. For example, if on one of these resources 100% uniqueness is obtained, then on another the same text can give 80%. This is because these services use different search algorithms and a different base for comparison, so the numbers will be different. In addition, many experts believe that the amount of information on the Internet is growing, so the indicators of the uniqueness of any text are constantly changing.
