Is Content Syndication an SEO Ranking Factor?

Did you know that only 27% of marketers use syndicated content?

If these stats are to be believed, why there’s so much buzz about this
term?

For some professionals, syndicated content can outrank the original one; however, for others, it is considered simply spam. Yet, this practice is accepted and practiced in content marketing.

But is it the ranking factor in the Google SERPs?

In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into the syndicated content and how it affects the Google rankings factor.

What Is Content Syndication? 

Content syndication gives other publishers/authors the right to
reuse (republish) your content. This may happen by truncating content into
snippets or entire pieces to reach a wider audience.

Additionally, syndication should not be confused with Guest blogging. There are some major yet hard to miss the differences between them.

The differences are:

Syndication: In syndication, the content is live on your website, and you give access to other publishers to post their copy. This happens in many ways:

1. Individual bloggers or authors may syndicate their content to make it reach a wider audience

Let’s consider this with an example:

If I have published a blog on my company's website, I may syndicate it to other platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, Medium, or elsewhere.
This way, my content will reach the audience from different networks and possibly may link back to my company’s website.

2. Publications and bloggers may choose to syndicate

This usually happens when a content owner shares its content to the syndicator or to multiple partners intending to expand the reach of their content.

In this case, the syndicated content (when published on the other site) may end up as:

2.1: Condensed content- where the snippets of the content appear

2.2: Identical content- where most of the content is the same except for the URL.

2.3: Edited or spin- where the content is spun or edited in a way that the headlines and some portions are rearranged or removed.

This may result in piracy and can result in copied content than syndicated content. In technical terms, this is called Content theft.  

In some cases, the content is duplicated to get more traffic, which may result in a poor user experience and dropped results. As a result, the rankings suffer an instant drop, or the site might get removed from the Google index (in both cases, the website will no longer appear in the search results).

Syndicated Content Is an SEO Ranking Factor - True or False?

There are some special guidelines from Google Search Central for
the webmaster. These guidelines show different scenarios for syndicated
content, which are: 

• Publishing the auto-generated by using RSS and search results 
• Publishing the scrapped content using automated techniques that bring no value to the original content.

In both the above situations, your content will not reach anywhere.

So, Does Syndication Affect SEO Ranking? 

To answer this query, let’s get to know what Google has to say:

“If you are syndicating content on other sites, Google will always show what version best suits for the users in every given search.

This result may or may not be your preferred result. However, you must ensure that each site for which your content is syndicated should have a link to the original article”.

However, if you still want to do it, you must know the best practices or tips for syndicating content.

What Are the Best Practices for Syndicating Content for SEO?

Let’s get into the step-by-step process for syndicating SEO-friendly content:

Step1: Post and Share:

Top publications need quality content, but they accept the pieces only if it's excellent and promising enough to generate value and leads. So, the first thing to keep in mind is to create a unique piece.

But, how?

• Choose topics based on people’s queries, traffic search potential, and your audience's search intent. 
• Keep in mind the on-page SEO and also consider XML sitemap to boost your content’s visibility.
• Make sure that your content aligns with E-A-T and format it in the best way possible.

Step2: Find Syndicate Partners: 

Many websites are open to content syndication; therefore, it won’t be an issue for SEO experts to find them. Keep in mind that the bigger the blog, the higher will the quality standard.

So, look for the niche content syndication sites and select the
most popular one. Here are a few tips that help you in identifying the websites for content syndication:

• Choose websites with similar or better domain authority
• Look for the ones who provide
• canonical links to the original conten
• Make sure your audience and buyer’s persona is the same 

Step3: Reformat Your Content: 

By content syndication, people mostly think of distributing the same piece on various channels. While the strategy works, it is more appropriate for the publications that share content in the same format, writing style, and similar tone.

But, this approach limits the syndication opportunities. So, to
get the benefits of content syndication, you must reformat your content to fit the editorial guidelines.

This will increase your chance of getting republished, and your
content will reach a wider audience.

Step 4: Reach Out and Share Your Content: 

Once you know that you have unique content and a good website,
reach out to the editors and ask about the syndication. You can reach out to the top publications or to their editors by simply pitching. Keep in mind what your audience wants and the type of content they publish.

Make Content Syndication an Important Component of Your Digital Marketing Strategy!

Syndicating content on various platforms has been the key component of your marketing strategy; it’s the simple way to build a brand's image, increase backlinks, and network with industry experts. So, get things done and improve your reach!