What is Article Syndication?
Article syndication, also known as content syndication, is when one or more third-party websites publish an article that first appeared on another website. In other words, it is republishing word-to-word content on other websites.
However, it differs from stolen or plagiarized content as syndicated content clearly mentions the source where it was initially published. Ideally, it carries a canonical link to the original article.
Why is Article Syndication Important?
Here are a few reasons that make content syndication a successful marketing tactic:
1. It Brings Referral Traffic
Syndicated content mentions that it has been sourced from another website and often links back to it. If the readers find the article helpful or interesting, they may visit your website for more. Thus, it can help you obtain hundreds or thousands of new visits to your website.
2. It Helps Build Brand Awareness
You can reach a much wider audience than you might otherwise be able to by syndicating your content to reputable websites with substantial readers. This will make your brand more visible.
When readers see authoritative articles with your brand name on other websites, they will view you as an industry leader and become your loyal audience.
3. It Can Help with Links
When content syndication is done correctly, there’s always a link to the original website: a hyperlink referencing the original or a canonical link. These backlinks can help boost the rankings of the original web page.
How to Find Article Syndication Opportunities
Now that you know how syndicating articles can help you get more visibility, traffic, and links, you need to know where to find article syndication opportunities.
1. On Google
There are two ways you can find syndication opportunities on Google:
Find Syndicated Content on a Relevant Topic
Most websites that syndicate content mention phrases like “originally published on,” “originally appeared on,” “republished with permission,” etc. Hence, you can find the republished pages on Google using these phrases along with a related topic.
Example: “originally appeared on” + marketing
Using tools like the Ranktracker SEO Toolbar, it will be easy to spot relevant websites with high domain authority where you might want to syndicate content.
Check if Specific Websites Republish Content
If you know certain well-known websites in your niche but are unsure whether they syndicate articles, you can check this on Google.
Example: site:example.com “originally appeared on”
2. Using Ranktracker
Another way of finding potential syndicates is by using Ranktracker’s tools. This is particularly helpful when you already know a website in your niche whose content is getting syndicated. Plug this website into Ranktracker and go to the Backlinks report. Use phrases likely to surround the link to the original website in the “Include” box.
Example: “originally appeared on”
3. Paid Syndication and Self-Syndication
There are a couple of other syndication opportunities you should know of:
Paid Syndication
Paid syndication is where you pay money to place your content on large publications. Services like Outbrain and Taboola can place your content or a nofollowed link to it on notable publications like The Guardian. Essentially, it’s a form of advertising.
Self-Syndication
You can also self-syndicate or republish your article on platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, Medium, etc.
FAQs
Can Article Syndication Hurt My SEO?
Even though Google is smart enough to identify the original content, there can be issues when the syndicated content gets indexed and outranks the original article. The ideal way to avoid this is to have a “rel=canonical” tag pointing to the original content.
Is Syndicated Content Duplicate Content?
Yes, syndicated articles are a form of duplicate content. However, in this case, it does not have a negative value. When done right, syndicated content sends the necessary signals to Google to help it find the canonical version and consolidate the link signals.
