Positive Real Estate Professionals

Should I use Generic Content on my blog?

This is a question that has been asked of this real estate network over the last month or two. The answer could be as “CANNED” as the generic content itself. However, I am going to attempt to stay away from the ‘canned’ answer and give you some fresh advice on Generic Content. I would also suggest that you read Duplicate Content, Generic Content, Scraped Content, Syndicated Content…What’s The Diff? before moving forward with this post. OK, now that you understand what generic content is, let’s jump into the meat of this article.

Can Generic Content Benefit My Site?

It is the belief of both webmasters of PREP that the answer to this is ‘NO’. In my personal opinion, I would liken using Generic Content to using canned Salmon. It is a huge downgrade from the real thing. With that said, there is one benefit that no one can deny; it gives you content to place on your site. Frankly, that is where it ends. Google is going to search out for the original article and they will end up giving that one all the juice.

Can Generic Content Be Transformed To Benefit My Site?

Now, here is the tricky question. There are two answers to this question. The first could be that you should never modify any generic content and it should stay in it’s original state. If you are a believer in this answer, then you still have the ability to use the generic content and still get some juice from it. The way to do this is to simply write a 50 to 100 word prelude to the article. In doing this, Google will see this as fresh content. The second way to look at generic content would be that once imported on your site, you could just basically rewrite it so that it appears that it is your content. In my opinion, this is as bad as using the generic content to begin with. No offense to anyone, but if you are that lazy, then maybe blogging is not for you.

What Is The Difference In Generic Content And Syndicated Content?

This was a question that was asked of me yesterday from a potential member. The answer to the question is a simple one, but I will not be taking that path here. I want to make sure that people understand the difference between this. Generic Content is content that is written by one writer giving the blanket authorization to use their content on any other site. This means that any blogger anywhere in the world has permission to put it on their site. With Syndicated Content, you are actually giving credit to the original author. In some cases of syndication, you are only using the short form of the article which would make the reader have to go to the original site to read the complete post. In other cases, like syndicating one blog that you write onto another blog that you own, you would use the full articles and give credit to the original article site.

In closing, let me state this very clearly; I am totally against generic content. However, I do understand that a lot of people in the real estate industry are swamped and do not have the time to blog, but want to reap the benefits of blogging. With that said, the only thing that I will advocate concerning generic content would be adding a 50-100 word prelude to the generic content. If you are going to the trouble of finding it, why not take the steps necessary to gain something for your efforts. With that being said, there is truly no substitute for original content.