Content scraping: What it does, and what it does not

Content scraping: What it does, and what it does not

Content scraping is mistaken as actionable strategy

Not long back, webmasters were cherishing a whole new methodology to add to the content freshness of their site, thereby giving a boost to the rankings in search engines. This particular approach to content updation on the site later came to be known to as content scraping.

Content scraping is an attempt to fool search engines with regard to the placed content on the site which lacks originality. Webmasters tend to cheat search engines by way of especially developed search bots to crawl the World Wide Web to gather the content related to their web sites. Once spiders or robots return with specific content from the depths of Internet that can be convincingly used on webmasters' sites, they indeed do the same. Placing this kind of content is assumed to facilitate high positions in the search engines.

In its prime time, it did deliver results and let others to be under the impression that it is actionable strategy. This actionable strategy soon lost its sheen when Google took remedial measures in its algorithm to not let it happen anymore.

Google filled up a patent of its innovative mechanism to detect duplicate and near duplicate files on the Net and throws light how its search engine will tackle the issue of content duplication to discourage the proponents of content scarping to derive undeserved positioning in the search findings.

Content scraping may be transitory paying off until it catches the attention of Google. The wrath of Google, and resulting deterrent implications for such sites could be much dreaded exclusion from the Google index.

Content scraping: The notion of playing on the loopholes of Google is ill-founded

Using duplicate content to form multiple web sites does not seem good for anyone. After all, no user will ever want to get the same copy of results splattered all over the page of search engine. As long as it causes plenty of inconvenience to the users, it cannot fit into the grand final scheme of Google. The fact that Google is professionally driven to redefine user search experience on the Net; its loopholes, and how webmasters are trying to circumvent the same to their advantage cannot elude the expert attention of Google guys. There is no surprise Google hires the most expert hands and the sharpest minds to carry forward its dear legacy.

Now, content scraping is under the focused surveillance of Google. It is likely that clever webmasters will not henceforth be so clever in using the content clutter to score a point in web rankings.

Google is well aware of many types of software, like as niche bot, article bot, etc. that hit the market in a big way which promise original content meant for search engines. Google has got nothing to deal with these softwares as they cannot stand their claims. You can easily find how relevant or user-friendly the content is when you take recourse in such programs. You will surely find that the content provided by these softwares is kind of garbaged stuff which makes little or no sense when it comes to serve the users with sincerity in mind.

Your move, no matter what, to secure a good rank in Google will result in desperation if it does not conform to user convenience and to the fulfillment of their information needs. That's the reason content scraping fell head on only to make Google more restless to curb such practices in the future.

Build websites for users, not for search engines

Like other unscrupulous moves deliberated to mislead or deceive search engines, content scraping too is on the way to meet the same fate: its deprived luster. The chances are that web sites found guilty of violating Googles' cardinal principal of user centricity might lose their place in the Google's index, or might be dropped down the earlier rankings, or might be unceremoniously dropped off the search engine itself, or might be levied more harsh penalties like a possible ban.

This is to remember here that a drop in the usual ranking of a web site might different from a nose dive of the web site due to not following what Google advocates to enhance visibility in the search engine. A drop in the ranking might occur as a result of spiders crawling the web site to know how it is going with the desired moves to get upward mobility in the search engines. In other words, how closely it is following Google's hints or guidelines to secure and enhance its rankings.

This is pertinent to note that no one knows precisely how search engine works in its minute details except the Google guys themselves. Moreover, how Google displays search results and its key considerations keep on changing. It seems that it more like an enigma to follow Google. But fortunately, the condition is not so unpredictable as one might assume. Notwithstanding its changing way of delivering the result pages, its basic guidelines do not change. Google is firm on the fact that changes in the web sites for greater good of users would not go unrewarded. This is what drives Google to constantly change for better, and this is what Google expects web sites to constantly strive for.

In ultimate analysis, one need to, and in fact, must build web sites for users, not for search engines. Like content scraping, myopic and perilous moves to fool search engine is to make mockery of one's business. It is not necessary, and not feasible at all that you have got to do evils to get a paying rank in Google.

You can well deserve your way up the Google search rankings if you pay heed to its quality guidelines at

http://www.google.com/intl/en/webmasters/guidelines.html


Deepak Sharma is a Web Designer at BlueApple, a Web Design and Development Company with a well connected development infrastructure in India having a strong portfolio with global clientele and offering superior web services and solutions at competitive costs.