Want to share that great article you just read on your blog? By following a few simple guidelines you can share the article with your readers, give the author proper exposure, avoid copy and paste plagiarism, and get both articles some Google “love”.
Here are best practices to reposting an article that will keep both the author and Google happy:
1. Write your own compelling headline for the article rather than copy the article’s original headline.
2. Write an introduction paragraph. If you include a short direct quote in this paragraph (or anywhere in the article), be sure to acknowledge the author or source.
3. Write a paragraph to present an excerpt of the article.
Best Excerpt Practices:
- Try to keep the excerpt length to 2 paragraphs of the article. The more you use of the original article the more likely you are to need permission from the author.
- Use the blockquote feature of your blog’s text editor or italicize the text to set the excerpt apart.
- Include a link to the article/source and author. This is an ultra important must do in reposting.
4. Write a closing paragraph. This paragraph can express why you think this article is an excellent resource for your readers. Don’t forget a call to action, ask readers what they think or how will this effect them.
Graphic Sharing Manners:
Poor graphic manners: Pasting a photo directly from another website directly into your post editor – besides violating copyright laws, this causes hot-linking which steals the bandwidth from the original post site.
Excellent graphic manners: Using your own images see Rick’s Tips: 5 Favorite Low Cost or Free Image Sources for WordPress Blog Posts.
Like our graphic? You can download it here: Best Reposting Practices Graphic . We would love a credit link if you use it in a post.
Resource Links:
Social Fresh How to Use Content from Other Blogs without Violating Copyright
Written by Adam McLane How to Repost a Blog Post with Style and Grace
Social Media 101 Artizon Digital Jump Start Your Blog: Simple Blog Post Formula plus 5 Posting Styles
Sue Surdam | Artizon Digital | WordPress Specialist and Social Media Solutions | 503-577-1035
What if I am reposting my own article which was submitted somewhere else first, do you know if google will penalize me for that.
Google will mostly likely see the first posting of the article as the original source and your repost as duplicate content. The repost will not get as high a page position in Google search results as the original. To get some Google love for your article repost you would need to rewrite it or take excerpts and craft them into a new post like the example here. You could say something like in my article I recently published, “……….”
Sue…thanks for the article. It clearly answered a question I had on how to re-post.
Your welcome. I have been doing a lot of work and research on curating content that I will be sharing some tips soon.
Thanks Sue, I was very unsure about the etiquette involved in such practices and I appreciate your guidance. The only question I have now, is about the rules governing the reposting of YouTube videos on my website. Your input with respect to reposting from YouTube and Google’s attitude toward such things would be a great help.
Thanks
When I share another person’s YouTube video, I site the person’s YouTube Channel and include a link to it. Glad the article was of use to you.