Some creators always try to manipulate the system. The reason is clear. This is perhaps the only way to compete with the giant players.
These shortcuts work for a while. And after some time, when an update is launched by Google, these sites get hit and penalized. Among those practices, spun content is one of the most famous ones.
What is Article Spinning?
Article spinning, which is also called content spinning, is a method where creators use some tools to generate multiple copies of the same content.
That means they only pick a topic or a block of text from a valuable source. They then create multiple copies of it by changing the words or phrases.
You must be thinking, how is it going to benefit them? Well, this way, multiple copies of the same content can be obtained. It requires less effort than writing high-quality content manually. Here, creators use someone else's hard work to fulfill their own intentions to manipulate the search results.
Just like all other manipulative ideas, this concept also worked in the past. But now, search engines have become more efficient. They can easily detect spun content with their advanced algorithms. So, this approach does not work anymore.
How Does it Work?
Want to know exactly how this works? To understand this, see this example:
The beautiful sunset filled the sky with color.
Rewritten examples:
The beautiful sunset decorated the sky with bright hues.
The glorious sunset painted the sky.
The majestic sunset painted the sky in a range of vibrant colors.
Spot the difference? This is how different variations are made by just replacing words.
This tool can generate infinite variants. It produces endless paraphrased sentences with its advanced technology.
Article Spinning vs Paraphrasing
Now you must be thinking, are they both the same? No, there is a difference.
In paraphrasing, you express the meaning of the source text in your own words. This way, the context remains the same, but it reflects the writing style of a creator.
The purpose here is very clear. This is done to enhance the sentence structure and convey the information from various sources in a concise way.
On the other hand, content spinning relies on automated tools. These tools only change the words or structure of sentences. They do not add any value to the content.
Paraphrasing may also involve using automated tools, but its primary purpose is not the manipulation of search results. If done right, paraphrasing is far more reliable than content spinning.
However, it is worth noting that these tools can sometimes produce grammatical errors with poorly structured sentences. It can be easily recognized as machine-generated.
Conversely, when a human performs these tasks, there are higher chances of producing text with fewer errors and a more natural flow.
Article Spinning in the Past
In the early days of SEO, search engines had simplistic algorithms that were susceptible to manipulation.
Back in the early 2000s, algorithms heavily relied on backlinks and keyword density as crucial ranking factors.
Article spinning emerged as a technique that allowed website owners to effortlessly generate a large number of articles.
These articles could then be utilized for marketing or guest posting, wherein a substantial number of articles containing backlinks to the main website were submitted to external sites.
Besides that, article spinning also facilitated the creation of PBNs (Private Blog Networks) where site owners produced a large number of articles within a short time.
However, article spinning is now widely regarded as a black hat technique that is penalized by search engines.
How Does Article Spinning Affect Rankings?
It can have detrimental effects on your search rankings. One of the key issues is that the generated content lacks authenticity or quality, which is often difficult to read.
Such content fails to provide value to a user, which is also a negative sign in the eyes of Google.
Duplicate content - even if disguised through spinning - is heavily discouraged. When search engines identify duplicate or low-quality content, they may impose penalties on websites - ranging from temporary ranking drops to more severe actions like de-indexing.
Being de-indexed can have significant consequences for your website's visibility and organic traffic.
Rebuilding search visibility after being de-indexed can be a challenging process.
Are there Any Alternatives?
There are several alternatives that you can consider to make the most of your existing content while staying within Google's guidelines.
Repurpose Content
Instead of spinning someone else's content, repurpose your own content in different formats or presentations.
Take parts of your existing blog posts and repurpose them as social media posts or transform key information into infographics.
You can give it new life to reach different audiences without resorting to spinning someone else's work.
Cover a Topic Fully
Rather than spinning existing content, explore the same topics from a unique perspective or delve deeper into specific aspects that others may have missed.
Provide your own insights and analysis. This way, you can create unique content that adds value.
Republish Older Articles
Identify underperforming content on your website.
Consider republishing these articles by rewriting them from scratch or updating the majority of their content.
This allows you to give them a fresh look, update the information with the latest data, and attract new traffic to those pages.
Tools to Help you with Writing
Here are some helpful tools that can assist you in researching and creating quality content:
SEMrush Writing Assistant & Topic Research Tool
SEMrush Writing Assistant is indeed a valuable tool for addressing various content writing needs.
It provides a comprehensive evaluation of your writing based on four essential parameters:
readability
originality
tone of voice
SEO
Simply input your target keywords. It will generate a range of SEO recommendations tailored to your content.
These recommendations are designed to enhance the visibility of your piece of content in SERPs.
Additionally, the tool provides word count recommendations that offer guidance on the optimal length for your content.
The Writing Assistant also assigns an originality score to your piece. This score indicates the level of uniqueness in your content.
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
CoSchedule is a comprehensive work management software.
One of its prominent features is the Headline Studio. It is a powerful headline analyzer that provides valuable feedback based on a vast database of data points.
CoSchedule's free browser extension makes it easy and fast to improve your headlines. It only takes 30 seconds to optimize them.
It ensures that your headlines are well-crafted to attract more traffic to your content.
Grammarly
Grammarly is an advanced writing tool that swiftly detects writing errors in a matter of seconds.
It supports different variations of English, including American, British, Canadian and Australian. It makes sure your spelling and wording match the particular style of English you want to use.
Canva
Capturing the attention of your readers with visually appealing images is crucial. Canva is a valuable tool that can assist you in achieving this goal.
It allows you to create professional-looking images for your website or social media channels easily.
It offers a vast library of resources with over 420,000 customizable templates and more than 75 million premium stock photos, videos, audio files, etc.
This large collection gives you the flexibility to pick from different creative elements that match your requirements.
GrowthBar
Are you looking for another valuable tool? GrowthBar is another important one on the list.
This tool has several features that assist in writing. It provides outlines, keywords, as well as headlines and drafts. Not only this, but it also takes care of images and references for your blogs.
This does not end here. GrowthBar also gives you plenty of useful information related to your competitors. Thinking which insights? It includes information about their website traffic, Google & Facebook Ads, backlinks and organic keywords.
Conclusion
Article spinning needs no introduction. It is one of the most controversial topics in content creation and SEO.
It was once seen as a good idea to generate multiple copies of the same content quickly. But things do not always work that way. As a result, its negative impact canceled out its benefits.
Now, search engines are more sophisticated. They are quick enough to detect spun content.
They do not value content that is already available in several other locations on the web. Creators need to understand that now it is not about quantity. It is all about high-quality and unique content.