Freelance Copywriters UK

Don't copy other people's work. Here's why.

Google and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Google can remove websites from their index if they're a direct copy of another - if they're a mirror site. If you suspect someone else of having copied your material or website you can file an infringement notification with them. Their stated policy is to respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement. You should make sure you protect your brand on the web.

This is a direct quote from Google:

"Regardless of whether we may be liable for such infringement under local country law or United States law, our response to these notices may include removing or disabling access to material claimed to be the subject of infringing activity and/or terminating subscribers. If we remove or disable access in response to such a notice, we will make a good-faith attempt to contact the owner or administrator of the affected site or content so that they may make a counter notification. We may also document notices of alleged infringement on which we act. As with all legal notices, a copy of the notice may be sent to one or more third parties who may make it available to the public."

It's better to work with the search engines instead of trying to trick them or work against them. In simple terms, it's always preferable to use "white hat" optimisation techniques rather than "black hat" methods.

Avoid SEO companies who claim to be able to get "instant results" or promise to obtain you a number one placement in the search engine listings. These will either never materialise or be short term and their methods will flag your website to Google as having employed "black hat" optimisation techniques. You may then get removed or penalised. It's just not worth it!