Getting Around Google's Duplicate Content Filter

Talk about duplicate content & copy + paste

Lots of people asked me about duplicate content and " copy & paste ",  so today I will talk about them briefly .

Q : what is duplicate content ?

A : your listings descriptions are all very similar to each other.


Q : I have lots of similar items in my shop. What does that has to do with Google search ?

A : Google has this " filter " thing. So if our listings descriptions are very very very similar , then our listings ** MAY ** not show up . I have to say **may ** because Google does not give out guideline ,  so we can only do our best to write our descriptions differently and then run our own research tests on Google.

Q : What do you think of "copy + paste" ?

A : I LOVE "copy + paste" all my listings .... seriously, I do & here is why .
I think there is one benefit of "copy + paste" : 
you get to set up your listing right away & your etsy buyers get to see your new listings. If your goal is internal traffic from etsy & you are in a hurry to set up a few listings, "copy + paste" will at the very least help you in this matter. Etsy does not " read " the listing descriptions, so you can have very similar descriptions.

Q : I also sell on other online site , can I "copy + paste" ?

A : It is up to you but for me, I would not :) 
if you want listings from both sites to show up in Google search , then it is best to write " some what different " descriptions. 

Q : I can't possibly re-write all my listing descriptions. I have 2 shops & hundreds of listings.

A : Is that a question? lol
My advise is : Do your best to change some words around , to just change a couple of listing description whenever you have time so you don't run yourself ragged , take your time & " play around " with the words just a little bit . 
It can be time consuming to have different content for your listings but you will get the hang of it once you know what to say ..... if I tell you it is going to be a breeze, then I would be sugar coating it:) But it will benefit your shop & hopefully bring in some more views ....and that will be a good outcome., don't you think?


Q : okay, so can I use the same set of keywords in my listings and titles? 

A : yes, if those keywords are suitable for you, then use them :)
Do your best to write your keywords out in a sentence form, in stead of in a long string of words.

I have also talked about duplicate content in a couple of these other threads, see link here, and offered some excellent examples , take a look & those examples may give you some ideas & inspirations to work on your listings too
http://www.etsy.com/teams/11352/relevancy-and-seo-for-all-etsy-shops/discuss/10229912
http://www.etsy.com/teams/11352/relevancy-and-seo-for-all-etsy-shops/discuss/10074504

and this is what SEO Team Captain Mary wrote about duplicate content from one of the previous thread :
" Google does not publish any specific guidelines to tell anyone how much is too much duplicate content.Eliminating as much duplication as possible is the best approach but if you would like to keep this content as it is, then test on google.com by searching on the keywords that you are using in the title of the listing. If Google treats your listings are virtual duplications then one or more of the duplicated listings would be very far back in the search results. "


a few excerpts & tips to help you out :

Q : My keyword phrase is too long & won't fit in Etsy 20 character limit for tags ? 

A : break up the keyword phrase as best as you can.
I know it can be frustrating when I really "need" the whole phrase in for my own item ....so I totally understand :)

for ex; gemstone pendant necklace
....>>>gemstone pendant, pendant necklace , gemstone necklace.
Fabric flower handbag
...>>> Fabric handbag, flower handbag

Q : Can I just copy & paste my " title " with all these good keywords into my listing description ?

A : I would do your best to write out the keywords in a sentence form.
not in a string of words.

for ex, you can say :
I handmade this ( your keyword ) .......
hope you'll love this ( or another keyword ) .....
This ( another keyword ) is made with materials ......

Q : Anyway tips on how to write my descriptions differently because all my items are just about the same ... except color & size ?

A : Yes, I do have a few tips , believe it or not, there are " a couple " fairly simple ways to write out your listing slightly differently.
> ask a couple of friends , family members ...anyone to write out one paragraph of your listing .....just one paragraph or two,
so they won't think you want them to write a " term paper ".
Each person's writing style & choice of words are going to be very different from yours, so this give you a few different " bases " to work with .

> inspirations on words will come along if you read things that interests you ...such as gardening books, cook books , emails from other online websites, even newspaper apartment ads sometimes have interesting words that may inspire you to think of what to say:) 

Q : I have lots of " standard information " about how I make my item, shipping policy, my production methods etc etc? Can I put a link in my listings ? 

A : yes, you can try putting a link to your policy for " info / method process etc "
or any info that you don't think you can write them out " differently " or choose not to write them out in every listing ...yes a link is good!

Grace G
Cartilage Earrings on Etsy