This approach continues today, reinforced by recent algorithmic changes within the Helpful Content Update, designed to be certain that users find content created primarily for people, not only for search rankings.
Because of this as a part of our Web optimization strategy I even have focused on optimizing our content to deliver value, and that is something that I even have done accross all of my web sites.
Plagiarized Medium.com Content Outranks Our Content
I used to be recently perplexed to seek out that lots of our in-depth, personalized AI product reviews weren’t rating, despite meeting Google’s guidelines. For instance, our You.com review featured original, high-quality content, including screenshots and personalized testing, yet it still struggled to realize visibility.
When scanning the search ends in the highest 10 of Google it was our AI tool review (exact title) but on the Medium.com website that was rating highly in Google.
Not only was our own review page rating poorly, it was completely missing from the Google search results. Google’s apparent cutting-edge search engine gave original credit to a Medium.com account with almost no traction.
In truth the account is so recent, that it only had 7 followers based on the screenshot below. Much more interesting is that each article posted on the profile was a direct copyright copy and paste violation of our articles. You’ll be able to see how busy the thief was copying and pasting today based on the time of the posts.
For instance, the highest 3 articles which might be posted above are our own articles on how Best AI Tools to create YouTube Shorts, Best AI Video Generators and our Best AI Chrome Extensions articles.
How Did they Do it?
The query of how a Medium account with 7 followers can outrank a site with tens of millions of monthly visitors requires an understanding of Domain Authority (DA). It is a metric used to predict how well a web site will rank in search engine results. It’s not an official Google rating factor but is usually utilized by Web optimization professionals to gauge a site’s credibility and potential to rank.
How It’s Measured by Different Tools:
- Moz created the unique Domain Authority metric, which measures a web site’s rating potential on a scale of 1 to 100. It aspects in backlink profile, the standard of inbound links, and other Web optimization-related data to estimate how likely a web site is to perform well in search results. It’s calculated using machine learning models that predict rankings across various SERPs.
- Ahrefs uses a metric called Domain Rating (DR) to measure a web site’s backlink profile strength. It primarily focuses on the standard and quantity of backlinks a site has, using a logarithmic scale from 0 to 100. The next DR indicates stronger backlink authority. Ahrefs also considers how the backlinks contribute to the rating power of the positioning.
- SEMRush measures Authority Rating (AS), which is broader than simply backlinks. SEMRush’s uses aspects resembling Backlinks (quantity and quality), organic traffic (how much traffic the positioning is getting), heyword rankings (how well the positioning ranks for goal keywords).
All of those tools measure a web site’s authority, and offer more of a general guidelines than a real rating formula.
On this case we are going to review our domain authority with Ahrefs, the rating at Unite.AI is 75, a particularly high rating in comparison with the majority of internet sites.
In fact as impressive as this rating is it does pale compared to Medium.com.
In truth in line with Similar web, Medium is one in all the highest 500 web sites on the planet. Herein is the issue, should Google be giving an article priority treatment since it is appearing on a website with higher domain authority? While there are numerous claims that domain authority isn’t a rating signal, nearly all of the Web optimization community believes as a result of anecdotal evidence that it’s.
Google Must do higher
While it’s easy to complain that Google seems to favor larger sites over smaller ones in search rankings, it’s clear that Google needs to deal with these concerns more effectively. Allegations of preferential treatment persist, and cases just like the one I’ve illustrated—where original, high-quality content struggles to outrank plagiarized material—reflect poorly on Google’s AI.
At a minimum, Google should have the option to accurately distinguish between original content and copied material. Improving this might not only profit smaller creators but additionally help dispel claims of bias in its rating algorithm.
Medium Takes Motion
The Medium.com platform is a vital source of diversity for writers from all backgrounds, offering an area where varied perspectives, experiences, and concepts could be shared freely with a world audience. It empowers voices that won’t have access to traditional publishing channels, fostering a more inclusive environment for creativity and knowledge sharing.
The platform was never meant to host plagiarized content from blackhat SEOs who are trying to reap the benefits of parasite Web optimization, a tactic to game Google search engine rating results by counting on hosting content on a site with a high domain authority. The platform was as an alternative meant to reward prime quality content from unique voices, and this it excels at.
After we contacted Medium regarding our concerns, we were pleasently surprised with how quickly they took motion based on these rules, now should you visit the account that we’ve highlighted above the next error code is seen.
Summary
Tracking individual pages in Google is crucial for understanding how well content is rating and performing, and it’s vital to not rely exclusively on tools for this task. While Web optimization tools offer beneficial insights, manually looking for specific pages allows for a more hands-on assessment of how content appears in search results, helping discover issues like rating discrepancies or competition from lower-quality content.
High-quality content production stays key to success, as Google’s algorithms aim to reward original, insightful material. Nevertheless, issues just like the one highlighted in this text, where plagiarized content outranks original work, point to a flaw in Google’s system that’s negatively impacting content creators. We hope this serves as a call to motion for Google to deal with these concerns and improve its ability to acknowledge and prioritize authentic content.
