How to Properly Use a Plagiarism Detector When Writing Online Content
Your website needs to be free from plagiarism.
But with hundreds of articles being published in your industry every day, how will you avoid accidentally copying someone else's idea?
Being original isn't as easy as it sounds.
Thankfully, there are a multitude of free and paid-for online plagiarism detectors.
Keep reading this short article to learn how they benefit your website and business.
Why Plagiarism Hurts Your Website
Most customers won't decide to abandon their cart if you have a few paragraphs on your homepage that are identical to another website's homepage.
However, it could raise some eyebrows.
Thankfully, people have very short attention spans these days; especially when they're browsing the web.
Your real problem is search engines.
Whether it's Google, Firefox, DuckDuckGo, or another search engine, your website will be scanned for keywords, sensible sentences, and topical authority.
These machines can compare thousands of web pages at the same time. If they see that your website has plagiarized content from someone else, they will rank you lower in the search results.
This means your competitors are seen before you are.
It's also important to point out that if you are knowingly plagiarizing someone else's content, it's unethical.
You want your customers to be able to trust you.
Create content drawn from your personality and experiences.
After all, If you're an expert in your field you should be able to prove it by creating your own content on topics within your industry.
How Plagiarism Detectors Can Improve SEO
Plagiarism detectors can help you avoid accidental plagiarism (yes, that's a thing), thus avoiding the wrath of search engines.
Depending on the quality of your plagiarism detector, it will scan your article and search for that content online.
Not only can this help you identify some new competitors, but it also makes it easy to find and rewrite plagiarized paragraphs.
Using A Plagiarism Detector 101
I admit that using an online plagiarism detector should be easy. However, there are a few things you need to understand so that you don't drive yourself crazy.
Choosing A Good Anti-Plagiarism Tool
You want to choose a plagiarism detection website that works.
Honestly, I use free websites like Dupli Checker.
If you are working in an industry that is more academic and research-oriented, it may be wise to invest in a quality, paid-for plagiarism tracker such as Grammarly, Copyscape, etc.
Some websites offer different features…
More website comparisons.
Help from professional writers.
Grammar tools.
Unlimited words.
Free Plagiarism Checkers
I've already mentioned that free plagiarism checkers can be very helpful.
However, the free plagiarism checkers that work are almost always low-grade versions of paid-for tools.
Because of this, free plagiarism checkers usually only allow you to scan 300 to 1,000 words at one time.
Honestly, this isn't even that big of an inconvenience.
Just copy and paste a third of your article or web page copy into the tool, check it for plagiarism, and then repeat with the remaining two-thirds.
You also won't have access to some of the more advanced tools offered by these websites.
But that won't matter if you're just starting out or are only interested in avoiding obvious plagiarism.
If you ever need something more advanced, you can pay a small fee to gain access to the paid version of your favorite plagiarism detection website.
Copy and Paste Your Content
Again, copy and paste your content.
I have never, and will never write my content inside of the anti-plagiarism tool.
Write your article, correct any grammar mistakes you find, and then you can worry about originality.
If you start analyzing every sentence you write you're going to drive yourself crazy.
You May Never Score 100% Original Content
Remember how I just said you will go crazy if you analyze each sentence you write?
That's because some plagiarism detection websites are too accurate for your own good.
For example, here is a list of some words and phrases that could be deemed "plagiarism".
Out of this world.
Ecological society.
Math homework.
"You shall not pass" (other famous phrases).
Keep reading.
In this article, we're going to.
In conclusion.
And almost any other phrase or word that someone has written online.
If your tool starts flagging your content just because you're using common words or phrases, you may want to consider switching to a new plagiarism detection service provider.
NOTE: This advice only applies to words and phrases. If entire paragraphs are being flagged, you need to rewrite them.
Make Any Necessary Edits and Repeat
The plagiarism tools I’ve used show me the websites that I have "copied" and the exact paragraphs that are identical to mine. This allows me to read what my competitors have written, reword my content, and potentially gain some new insights on a topic.
Once I correct any problematic paragraphs, I copy them and paste them back into my original document.
Finally, I repeat the process to make sure I haven't traded one plagiarized paragraph for another.
The process takes less than 5 minutes.
Common Problems With Plagiarism Detectors
I've already mentioned the most common problems with plagiarism detectors.
Marking common words and phrases as plagiarism.
Word limit.
Complicated to use.
However, there are a few more problems you should be aware of.
Misreading the originality meter.
Slow tools.
Overloading.
Free tools are especially susceptible to being overloaded.
I once used a plagiarism detector that told me to come back later because too many people were using it at the time and it could not process any more content.
Too many people using a tool at the same time will also bring you slower results.
To avoid this problem, familiarize yourself with several free plagiarism checkers. When one website stops working, you can switch over to the next one.
Regarding misreading the originality meter (not its actual name, but that’s what I call it), not all plagiarism detectors are the same.
If you use Copyscape, you don't need a 100% originality score. Most content scores are around 90%. This is, again, because of common phrases, words, quotes, etc.
Even links can be considered plagiarism.
If you're a freelance copywriter like myself, it's important to explain this to your clients. Otherwise, you may end up with a client asking you why you've sent them "plagiarized content".
Conclusion
Plagerism-free content establishes trust with customers and makes search engines happy. This, in turn, increases website traffic and sales.
If you need any help with content and marketing, please schedule a consultation call with Written With Design. The first 30-minute session is free.