In contrast to all the heat about prevent duplicate content, on of the newly emerging trend on the web is - Content Syndication. It refers to the process of publishing a single article on multiple websites, with of course the authors permission. Formerly, authors needed to grant a formal permission before the article could be reprinted elsewhere. However, at present articles appear in syndication without the requisite author permission.

Before knowing how content syndication can help our content to travel faster on the web, let us look at the potential challenges as well

Pros & Cons of Content Syndication

Cons:

Duplicate Content Issues
Content syndication involves reproducing the same content on multiple websites. And because Google dislikes duplicate content, it can potentially have negative impact on your website.

Loss of Authority
Google seeks to maintain variety in its search results page. So it makes sure that the links in the search results don't contain the same content. As a result, the original source website of the content may not always rank best for the same.

Pros:

Increased Inbound Links
When other websites link to your website, it increases your backlinks and thus enhances your credibility within your niche. Further, it establishes your reputation on the web.

More Traffic
When a larger and more influential website picks up your content, it is made available to an all new user base not to mention the strong link back you get. The traffic to your website is consequentially increased.

Tips for Better Content Syndication
Instead of syndicating the entire article, just syndicate a portion of it i.e. a snippet. This is a very effective way that not only prevents duplicate content issues but also makes your article appear multiple times in the search listings with your result first followed by the people who have the synopses. This is because other results of the synopses might have other value added content such as links to other articles and so on.

Add a No Index Tag
Put a No Index tag on all the syndicated pages of the websites where you have your content reproduced. This way the syndicated pages wouldn't be seen as duplicate pages of the source website. Also, don't forget to ask for a link-back from the the websites that you post your content on.

Write Alternative Versions of the Content
Write similar articles on a topics or try to package your articles differently so that they are unique by themselves even though they may be saying the exact same things. You can also try writing different perspectives of a specific issue or probably writing an article that is more in context of the website that is taking it.

Link back to the Source Page
If you have no other option than to syndicate the exact same article to some other website, then make sure you link back to the original source page. However, it has as many chances to work as it has the chances to fail. But at least you have a fighting shot that way.

Maneet Puri is a Managing Director at LeXolution IT Services, a professional web development company that specializes in delivering a variety of web services like web design & development, web maintenance and web promotion. He leads a team of professional web developers to craft effective web solutions.