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Content syndication is an important component of modern growth marketing. It has always been that way.
However, content syndication methodologies and the content formats that fuel it have evolved.
Syndication is still important today, even though SEO has advanced over the years. Previously, blog posts were the only type of content that was syndicated. However, other types of content are now syndicated as well.
But, what exactly is content syndication? Why is it critical for your SEO? This post will go over all of these topics and more.
What Exactly Is Content Syndication?
The process of publishing your online content on a third-party platform is known as content syndication.
The primary goal of content syndication is to reach a larger audience via a third-party website and direct that traffic to your own. It can also be used as a growth hacking strategy to reach a larger audience and increase brand awareness.
So, how exactly does content syndication work?
To begin, you must have a solid content syndication strategy in place. You can do content syndication in a variety of ways, including:
- Republishing the entire piece of content
- Editing the content to publish a shorter version of it
- Posting an excerpt or summary from the original work
Why Should You Syndicate Content?
Consider content syndication to be a barter system. The third-party platform receives free, useful content for its audience. At the same time, the creator of the content gains exposure to a larger audience.
This exchange system, however, is not new.
Even before digital marketing became popular, major media outlets published syndicated content from freelancers and smaller websites. Because of content syndication, freelancers and smaller publications received recognition for their work, while larger outlets did not have to invest in the resources needed to publish content.
But, after all, why do marketers use content syndication now?
The publisher and content creator do it for various reasons, including increasing website traffic, generating leads, building backlinks, and so on.
What Distinguishes Syndication From Plagiarism?
Syndicated content is not a different content format in and of itself. It’s a duplicate of the content you’ve already created.
But isn’t that the same as Plagiarism?
No. Plagiarism and content syndication are not the same thing. When you take original content from a website and republish it without crediting the author, you have plagiarized the content.
On the other hand, Syndicated content specifies where the original post was published with a statement such as “Published originally on website name on the date.”
However, you’re treading on thin ice here. It’s also possible that your content will be considered plagiarism if you don’t syndicate it properly.
Content syndication is not the same as content curation. In the case of content curation, you gather content from various sources and organize it so that readers can get the most out of it.
The idea is that you will bring content from various sources and add additional commentary to it. However, regardless of who you are or your vendors, you will always produce the core content.
This is not the same as content syndication, which allows you to publish your original content on other publications or channels.
The Advantages Of Content Syndication
Brands that have syndicated their content have seen increased product coverage and review volume.
In fact, after syndicating their content, brands selling consumer electronics saw a 324 per cent increase in reviews and a 26 per cent increase in product coverage.
But those aren’t the only advantages of syndicating your content. Let’s look at some of the other advantages of content syndication.
- Content Exposure
Content syndication exposes your content to prospects, viewers, and readers who might not have discovered your brand organically.
It increases the number of people who follow your brand and content and increases traffic. As a result, your website, social media profiles, and other channels can reach a larger audience.
- Generating Leads
Content syndication is a quick and efficient method of demonstrating thought leadership.
Each piece of content that syndicates gated content can generate substantial revenue. Prospects must enter their information before they can download their content assets. This syndication lead generation strategy will allow you to capture the prospect’s information, which you can then use to target them and convert them into customers.
- Creation Of Hyperlinks
Content syndication sites can publish your content, including articles, videos, and graphics, and credit you for it by linking back to it.
This aids in the improvement of your website’s SEO, which in turn aids in the improvement of your rankings in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). As a result, your brand’s online authority will grow.
How To Syndicate Content Successfully?
While content syndication may appear to be every content marketer’s dream (who wouldn’t want more exposure, right?), you must do it correctly.
Why? When done incorrectly, syndicated content may be perceived as duplicate content, as we have seen above. This can harm your online reputation, have an impact on your SEO, and much more.
To avoid such situations, let’s take a look at some steps you can take to syndicate content successfully.
- Create Linkable Content.
Your marketing revolves around content creation. Only after you’ve created some content can you syndicate it. Furthermore, if you want to syndicate content on high authority platforms, you must ensure that the content you create is of exceptionally high quality.
- Make Contact With The Appropriate People.
Creating good content isn’t enough; you also need to syndicate it on the appropriate platforms. Examine the publications that your target audience reads.
When syndicating content, aims to collaborate with platforms with a larger audience than your own. These partners have established themselves as market leaders in your industry. Their collaboration will assist you in improving your brand reputation while also establishing your authority as a thought leader in the space.
Use Appropriate Content Syndication Methodologies.
You should use the following methods to inform search engines that the content you’ve syndicated is not plagiarised:
- Tag rel=canonical
You should use the “rel=canonical” tag on the syndicated content’s URL.
- Tag meta noindex
The meta noindex tag functions similarly to the rel=canonical tag, except it completely removes the noindex page (the syndicated page) from indexing.
- Regular Backlinks
Regular backlinks are ideal for marketers and distributors who have not experienced coders or have stringent code implementation standards.
It’s the least desirable option, but it’s the most practical for this group of marketers.
- Monitor The Effectiveness Of Your Content.
To generate high-quality leads from syndicated content, you must evaluate and optimize it.
Pay attention to the following metrics to better understand lead quality:
- Engagement Rate: The Engagement Rate refers to the number of leads that your sales team can actively engage or connect with. It is a key metric in assessing how well your team is interacting with potential customers. Engagement may involve activities such as calls, emails, meetings, or other communication methods. The higher the engagement rate, the better your team is at initiating conversations and fostering relationships with leads.
- Lead Qualification Rate: This metric measures the percentage of leads that meet the predefined criteria to be considered as qualified leads. Lead qualification involves determining whether a lead fits the ideal customer profile (ICP) and is likely to convert into a customer. This rate helps sales teams focus their efforts on leads that are more likely to be successful, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the sales process.
- Conversion Rate: Conversion Rate is the percentage of qualified leads that successfully move through the sales pipeline to become paying customers. It is a key indicator of the sales team’s ability to close deals and is directly tied to the overall effectiveness of the sales strategy and process. A high conversion rate suggests that the sales team is good at nurturing leads and turning them into clients.
- Win Rate: The Win Rate refers to the percentage of opportunities (potential sales or deals) that are successfully converted into actual customers. It gives insight into how well your sales team performs at closing deals. A higher win rate indicates that the sales team is effectively addressing the needs of prospects and persuading them to finalize the purchase.
However, there are some secondary factors at work as well. Brand lift and traffic can also indicate campaign success, even if ROI for those outcomes is difficult to determine.
- Assess And Improve
No strategy works on the set-and-forget model. The goal of any campaign should be to evaluate and improve outcomes by refining your approach constantly.
The return on investment (ROI) from content syndication is the actual determining metric of success in content syndication. Keep track of it, experiment, and, if successful, repeat with additional publications. This can assist you in scaling your syndication strategy.
Sites That Allow For The Syndication Of Content
Here are some websites that allow you to syndicate your content.
- Free
Of course, free content syndication is available because no money is required to syndicate the content.
You will, however, need to spend some time locating publications that are willing to allow free content syndication. Sites like Business 2 Community, Lifehacker, and HuffPost are examples.
When words like “originally appeared on,” “originally published in,” and “republished with permission” appear in a post, it usually means that the content has been syndicated.
Contact the editors of these blogs and ask them to syndicate your content with canonicals and links back to your site, as we discussed above.
- Paid
Some syndication services are only intended for content syndication and charge you per click. On the other hand, these sites rely on overly clickbait headlines to generate those clicks.
The problem is that these headlines do not correspond to the content, resulting in extremely high bounce rates – the exact opposite of what you want. Outbrain and Taboola are two examples.
- Owned
This method is similar to free syndication, but you won’t have to contact editors or negotiate canonical tag terms – you’ll roll in the hay on your own.
LinkedIn and Medium are two such sites. You can publish your content on these platforms with the line “originally published on” and a link back to your original content. You can also syndicate guest posts you’ve written for other publications across these channels.
The Potential Risks of Content Syndication
While content syndication has numerous benefits, it is not without its potential risks. Let’s explore some of the challenges you might encounter:
Duplicate Content Issues
Syndicating your content across multiple platforms can cause duplicate content issues, which are a concern for SEO. Search engines, like Google, prioritize unique content. If multiple websites publish the same piece of content, search engines may not know which version to index or rank. This could result in lower rankings for all copies of the content. To mitigate this risk, use the rel=canonical tag to tell search engines which version of the content is the original.
Loss of Traffic and Engagement
When you syndicate content on a third-party site, there’s always a chance that your audience may engage more with the syndicated version than your original content. This can dilute the traffic, leaving you with a smaller share. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that the content’s original version remains easily accessible and offers value to the reader in a way that encourages them to visit your site.
Quality Control and Reputation
When you syndicate content, you’re relying on a third-party platform to present your work. This platform might not uphold the same quality standards or could be associated with a less reputable brand. The last thing you want is for your content to appear on a low-quality site that could harm your brand’s reputation. Choose syndication platforms carefully, and ensure they align with your brand’s values and industry standards.
Over-saturation of Content
Syndicating too much content can lead to audience fatigue. If your content is everywhere, it might lose its impact or uniqueness. It’s important to maintain a balance between syndicated content and new, original content on your own platforms.
Best Practices for Effective Content Syndication
To maximize the benefits of content syndication while minimizing the risks, here are some best practices you should follow:
1. Focus on High-Quality Content
Your content must be of the highest quality to succeed in syndication. Content syndication is not a shortcut for attracting attention—it’s a strategy that amplifies great content. Focus on creating in-depth, engaging, and well-researched content that will stand out on both your site and the syndication platform.
2. Select the Right Syndication Platforms
Not all syndication platforms are created equal. It’s essential to choose platforms that cater to your target audience. Popular sites like Medium, LinkedIn Pulse, Reddit, or industry-specific publications can provide the exposure needed to drive high-quality traffic to your site. Avoid platforms with a reputation for low-quality content or those that rely too heavily on clickbait tactics.
3. Use the Rel=Canonical Tag
To prevent search engines from penalizing your site for duplicate content, always use the rel=canonical tag on syndicated content. This tag informs search engines that the content on the third-party platform is a duplicate and should be treated as a reference to the original content on your site. This way, your website retains its SEO value, and you avoid penalties for duplicate content.
4. Maintain Ownership of Your Content
When you syndicate content, ensure you keep ownership of the original work. It’s important that you retain the rights to modify, redistribute, and republish your content in the future. Clearly state the content ownership and make sure syndication platforms understand that they are distributing your work, not claiming it as their own.
5. Keep Track of Syndicated Content
It’s important to monitor where and how your content is being syndicated. This helps you understand how effective your syndication strategy is and gives you control over the quality of the platforms where your content appears. Use tools like Google Alerts, BuzzSumo, or Mention to track mentions of your content across the web.
6. Avoid Over-Syndication
While syndicating content to many platforms may seem like a good way to maximize reach, it’s crucial not to overdo it. Syndicating too frequently can lead to diminishing returns. Focus on strategic, high-authority platforms where your target audience is most active.
Measuring the Impact of Content Syndication
To ensure your content syndication efforts are yielding positive results, it’s important to measure their effectiveness. Here are key metrics you should monitor:
- Traffic Generation: Traffic generation is a key metric to evaluate the success of content syndication. By tracking the number of visitors coming to your website from syndicated content, you can gauge the effectiveness of your strategy. Tools like Google Analytics can help identify the referral sources, allowing you to understand which platforms or networks are driving the most traffic. Additionally, measuring the conversion rate from this traffic helps you determine the quality and relevance of the audience attracted through syndication, providing insights into your content’s reach and impact.
- Lead Generation: Content syndication is a powerful tool for lead generation. By distributing your content on third-party platforms, you can capture leads from a wider audience. To track the success of this strategy, implement lead tracking software such as HubSpot or Marketo. These tools help monitor the number of leads generated from syndicated content and measure the conversion rate, revealing how many visitors turn into potential customers. Monitoring lead quality is crucial to determine the return on investment (ROI) and to optimize future content syndication efforts for better lead capture.
- Engagement Rates: Engagement rates measure how well your syndicated content resonates with the audience. This is crucial for building a loyal customer base. Engagement can be tracked through social shares, comments, and the time users spend on your site after clicking through from syndicated content. Higher engagement indicates that your content is relevant and valuable to the audience, leading to more interactions with your brand. Monitoring these metrics helps improve content strategy, ensuring that future content is more tailored to user interests, increasing both loyalty and conversion potential.
- Backlinks and SEO Performance: Content syndication plays a vital role in enhancing SEO by generating backlinks from authoritative websites. These backlinks improve your website’s search engine rankings, increasing visibility. By tracking the number of backlinks acquired through syndication, you can evaluate how effectively content is reaching influential sites. Monitoring SEO performance with tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs helps you assess the direct impact of syndication on your search rankings. As backlinks improve, your content’s organic reach expands, driving more traffic and potentially boosting conversions from organic search.
- Brand Awareness: While brand awareness is more challenging to measure directly, syndicating content can still provide valuable indicators. Increases in social media mentions, website traffic, and overall audience engagement suggest that your brand is gaining recognition. By observing how your syndicated content influences these metrics, you can infer shifts in public awareness. A rise in mentions or discussions around your brand, along with an uptick in referral traffic, signals a broader reach and growing brand presence. Tracking these indirect measures of brand awareness helps assess the effectiveness of your content syndication efforts.
- SEO Performance: One of the most important benefits of content syndication is improving SEO rankings through backlinks and increased website traffic. By measuring the number and quality of backlinks generated from syndicated content, you can track improvements in your site’s SEO performance. Additionally, the traffic brought in from syndicated content can positively affect your website’s overall search engine rankings, provided proper SEO practices, such as using rel=canonical tags, are followed.
- Content Performance: To further evaluate the success of your syndicated content, monitor how it performs across various platforms. Keep an eye on key performance indicators (KPIs) like the bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rates. These metrics help you understand if the content is engaging users and driving them towards desired actions like signing up for newsletters, downloading resources, or making purchases.
- ROI and Business Impact: Ultimately, the effectiveness of content syndication should be measured by the return on investment (ROI). To calculate ROI, compare the total value generated through syndicated content—such as increased traffic, leads, and sales—with the costs associated with creating and syndicating the content. This can give you a clear picture of whether your syndication efforts are financially worthwhile.
Conclusion
Ensure that your online content is syndicated on the appropriate websites and in the appropriate manner. If you don’t, you won’t be able to reap the many benefits of content syndication, which could result in more loss than gain.
With this post, you have the tools, facts, and recommendations you need to get started.
So, syndicate your content to expand your content marketing strategy and grow your brand.
Thatware | Founder & CEO
Tuhin is recognized across the globe for his vision to revolutionize digital transformation industry with the help of cutting-edge technology. He won bronze for India at the Stevie Awards USA as well as winning the India Business Awards, India Technology Award, Top 100 influential tech leaders from Analytics Insights, Clutch Global Front runner in digital marketing, founder of the fastest growing company in Asia by The CEO Magazine and is a TEDx speaker and BrightonSEO speaker.
