How to detect and remove stolen, copied, or copyrighted content on blogs and websites?

Most of us have probably dealt with plagiarized content before—you know, when someone passes off another author's words, ideas, or expressions as their own. It can happen when you're reading guest posts from less-than-stellar bloggers, or sometimes, we might even use common phrases unintentionally in our own writing.

Plagiarism isn't just a no-no in academia; it's also a serious breach of journalistic ethics. Beyond that, it can really hurt your blog's standing with search engines, damage your brand's reputation, and erode the trust your readers have in you.

Even the most seasoned blogger might not be aware of everything already out there on a specific topic. When you're writing about something, it's surprisingly easy to fall back on phrases that others have already used.

There are really two main scenarios where this comes up:

• Scenario 1: Verifying the originality of content you intend to use. This is when you're checking content you're about to publish, perhaps from a guest writer or a freelancer.
• Scenario 2: Detecting unauthorized use of your own content. This is about protecting your work and seeing if anyone else has lifted your words.

Regardless of whether you are checking content you plan to use or protecting your own, a plagiarism check is crucial. Running a plagiarism check should really be a standard part of your process before accepting work from a blogger.

These four online services can help you spot any duplicate content in blog posts.

ArticleChecker

ArticleChecker is a free online service that's pretty straightforward to use. You just copy and paste the blog post you want to check into the text box on the site, or you can pop in the article's url and hit "Compare." You can even choose to check your text using Google or Yahoo searches. For an extra layer of caution, you can run your search twice, once against each search engine for more thorough results.

If it finds any matching phrases, the results will tell you how many times that content appears online and on which website. While it's easy to use, you can't really control how sensitive the search is, so it might miss things that other tools would catch.

Duplichecker

Duplichecker is also a free online service. It lets you copy and paste your text into a box, upload a file, or enter the url of the website you want to check.

Duplichecker is free to use, but you'll need to register if you want to do more than one search per day. The free version typically allows for a limited number of searches, often around 50 words per search, before requiring registration for more. Not a bad deal for quick checks!

The Duplichecker tool is a fast and efficient way to scan your content for any signs of content theft or duplication.

Copyscape

Copyscape is pretty similar to the others, but it has the advantage of being super easy to use: just paste in a url or a chunk of text you want to check for plagiarism.

This well-known service costs $0.05 per search. Copyscape is one of the most recognized plagiarism detectors out there. It also offers premium features, like the ability to evaluate articles you're considering buying to ensure they're original. This feature usually involves submitting the article's text or URL, and Copyscape scans the web to find any matching content.

Copyscape, as a popular plagiarism checker, also provides automated website audit and protection services through its Copysentry program.

Plagium

Plagium is another plagiarism checker. It lets you copy and paste up to 5,000 characters for a search, or you can paste two texts side-by-side to compare them. For more than occasional use, you can sign up for an account and buy search credits. Accounts also give you access to deeper search levels and the ability to upload files.

Checking Content When You're an Organization or Not a Writer

If you're an organization or you hire content writers for your blog or articles, checking a writer's work is a smart move to ensure quality. But there are also things you can do beforehand to increase the chances you'll work with a good writer. Most importantly, make sure the person has some experience writing online, even if it's just for their own blog.

It's a good idea to ask for writing samples or check their online portfolio to get a feel for their style and quality. Don't hesitate to ask writers questions—via email, phone, or whatever works—to gauge their understanding of unique content and their ability to meet deadlines.

Don’t underestimate the value of original content. Apart from its potential to boost your search engine rankings, it’s probably the best way to manage your blogging reputation, so it’s definitely worth the effort! Building a reputation for original, valuable content helps establish you as an authority in your niche and fosters trust with your audience.