ROI·DNA Reads: Google Penalties On Your Tail?
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Schedule a ConsultWe read it:
In a recent Webmaster hangout, Google’s John Mueller shed some light on how Google understands content. Mueller disclosed that if you move content from a penalized domain to a new domain – without implementing redirects – Google might still transfer the penalty to the new domain.
Here’s what we think:
Previously, we assumed search engines identified content either by URL, brand identifiers or social connections. Now, it looks like:
- Content beats metadata – Google can recognize content based on content itself, not adjacent metadata or other identifiers
- Redirecting may not matter – Whether you redirect URLs or not, Google can likely identify the content
- Moving won’t work – Google will mark the site move and transfer the penalty
So it’s likely that if you put, say, For Whom the Bell Tolls, up on the web under a different title, Google would recognize the content immediately and slap “Hemingway” all over it.
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Matt Quirie Paid Social ManagerROI·DNA
