The Skinny on Duplicate Content Checking Software

Updated: Mar 12th, 2010

When you submit your travel writing articles to Ezine Articles, Affsphere, Go Articles, or your chosen article marketing site, make sure they are different from the originals. Several article submission directories require that you submit ONLY unique content to them (so be sure to read the guidelines before submitting articles), but it’s also a good practice for several reasons: first and foremost because you can track which article directories your articles are getting reprinted from based on the content being reprinted, secondly it avoids having duplicate content on your website (which keeps Google happy), and thirdly this lets you have the most in-depth version of the article on your own website.

While you can write several copies of the same article and, by being very careful, ensure that they are different “enough” from each other to avoid any problems with the article directories, using Duplicate Content checking software speeds up the process of comparing your articles to determine “how much” each version of your article has changed.

A quick Google search turns up plenty of Duplicate Content checking software on the internet, and Free Download Manager offers two free applications. I chose to download the free version offered by iSEOTools.com because it appeared easier to use.

The Good
Here’s what we like.

  • It’s free
  • Easy to download
  • Simple and quick to scan for duplicated content between two articles
  • Also scans for keyword density

The Bad
Here’s what we don’t like.

  • Could receive a message stating that the software cannot be found even though it installed properly (possibly a Vista compatibility issue?)
  • It’s Windows-only software, so Mac users must have Windows installed on your system (via Boot Camp or Parallels) in order to use the software

Installing the software was easy, but I received an error message. I’m not sure why — the software seemed to install correctly, and appears to work fine. Then again, I do have Windows Vista. Whenever you install software, make sure that your system is compatible and meets the minimum requirements. You don’t want to CRASH your system! I’m speaking to all of you PC users — you know what I mean! Yes, I have a PC instead of a Mac (it’s on my wish list).

There are better alternatives out there for a fee, and some of them do offer additional features that may be worth paying for, but before you buy be sure to take advantage of any free trials offered. If your funds are limited, give iSEOTools free application a try.

Conclusion
All-in-all, the software works fine. It calculates the difference between two articles and provides a percentage. It does scan for keyword density, which is important to help potential readers find your article.

~Rebecca

Try out iSEOTools and let us know what you think. Good Luck!

About Amandah Blackwell 198 Articles

Amandah Blackwell is a creative, freelance and ghost writer for industries that include but are not limited to the arts & entertainment, travel, publishing, real estate, pets, personal and professional development, and much more.

Amandah's personal writing projects include screenplays, teleplays, YA, non-fiction, short stories, and poetry. 

You can find more of her writing at www.MisticCafe.com, savvywritingcareers.wordpress.com, and www.savvy-writer.com.

You can follow Amandah on Twitter at:  http://twitter.com/savvy_writer

5 Comments

  1. Thanks for the tip. I used to use Dupe Cop but they are charging for their duplicate content checker. The fee isn’t that much, but if I can find one for free that is a much better deal for me right now.

  2. Thanks for the heads up. I didn’t realize that your articles are supposed to be different. I guess this explains UNIQUE content.

  3. Yeah, it helps to use a software to compare your original article to the new version. I do like DupeCop. I think it’s only $5 per month. I might go with them instead. Thanks for the heads up on the free software.

  4. I’ll checkout the software. Thanks for sharing. Normally, I’ll just take an article and change it and not worry about how much it’s changed. Sometimes I end up writing a new article…This could save me some time.

  5. Wow, I have so much to learn. I thought that I just had to be the original writer of my content. I just signed up for Ezine, Glad I read this post. I will check out the software. I am a Mac user, but mine is compatible with PC so I will let you know how it works. Thanks

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