The much maligned Google duplicate content filter is generally the bane of most sites. There is, however, one way to use it to your advantage.

Google Duplicate Content Filter for SEO The Good

The Google duplicate content filter is a relatively new, annoying aspect. Essentially, Google now eliminates multiple listings on sites carrying the same content. This typically occurs with distributed articles. For instance, 100 sites may pick up and publish this article. Because the content on each site is the same, Google will only include a modest number of said pages in the search results it returns.

The aggravating thing about the filter is it apparently is not tuned to create an exception for the original work. If I publish this article on my site, Google may or may not include it in the index of sites, to wit, it may get filtered out. This is the particular part of the content filter that drives people crazy. Alas, there is one way to use the duplicate filter to your advantage.

Assume you have a relatively new site or simply have not achieved the rankings you had hoped for in your optimization efforts. Now assume you have a timing sensitive site such as a product line devoted to Christmas sales, Valentines Day and so on. You can take advantage of the rankings of other sites to get your product in front of viewers.

The key is to write an optimized article for the keyword you want get rankings on in the relevant search engine. For instance, assume I sell outdoor gifts, but have no rankings at the beginning of summer when my market gets cranking. I will go ahead and write an article optimized for this keyword phrase and including mention of my brand or product line. I am not suggesting a sales piece, just an informative article with a passing mention of my brand. The article byline should then include a link to my site.

By taking this approach, I can piggy back my article on the rankings of other sites that already appear high in Google, Yahoo and MSN. The Google filter actually helps, because it tends to focus on the sites with the best ranking. If one of my articles is on said sites, up it goes.

If this strategy sounds interesting, there is one serious downside you need to keep in mind. Once your article is distributed, there situation is set. If you obtain rankings down the line, you are going to have to really work to outrank your own articles appearing on other sites.