A week ago, we shared the news that Google is collecting information on small sites that should rank better in Google.
Well, recently I spotted a thread at Google Webmaster Help where a small automobile news site was complaining that his content is being ranked higher on other sites than his own. In short, he writes original content and has syndication deals with other publishers, like Yahoo Autos. Google then decides to rank Yahoo Autos above his site because I guess Google trusts Yahoo more than his small web site.
This publisher is complaining that Yahoo ranks number one and he is no where to be found, despite being the original source of the content. He wrote:
Yahoo is #1, and me, the original content producer, is nowhere to be found; they've pushed me completely out of the search results!
Truth is, his site doesn't even rank about the webmaster help thread for the store title. Truth is, he sold out his content to others and thus maybe shouldn't rank above the places he sold his content to.
Google wants one source for the content, not a hundred. Google has to determine what to rank for the same piece of content.
On Top Contributor responded accurately saying:
So, it doesn't mean a bigger site can steal content and the push the original out. You'd use the DMCA for that. What it does mean is that if you syndicate your content/let other people publish it, those sites can outrank your site for the same content. When Google sees duplicate content, it'll pick which one it thinks best serves the searcher's query.
You can learn more about duplicate content and how Google deals with it in their help section.
That being said, we will see how Google uses this and the other feedback to change things in the future.
Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.
This post was written earlier this week and scheduled to be posted today. Image credit to BigStockPhoto for big vs small
