Merchant´s data feed for affiliates is the same content as their own website...

[xoffie]

Hi

Some advice appreciated.  Started working on a site and found out that they are giving their unique content to their affiliates (an XML feed so appearing on another domain).

In this case, if they want to provide the data like that, how can we protect ourselves?

Should we use author tags in our html, is that necessary?

Is there any fix other than "stop doing that and give them different content"?

Thanks

[AndreVanKets]

Hi

You have 2 options.

1.) Add a rel=canonical tag on their page with the URL to the original content on your website.

2.) Link to the original content via a URL or text link on their pages

From Matt Cutts:

_We've had a lot of interest in these meta tags, particularly in how the syndication-source tag relates to rel=canonical. After evaluating this feedback, we’ve updated our system to use rel=canonical instead of syndication-source, if both are specified. _

If you know the full URL, rel=canonical is preferred, and you need not specify syndication-source.

If you know a partial URL, or just the domain name, continue using syndication-source.

We've also had people ask "why metatag instead of linktag"? We actually support both forms for the tag, and you can use either. However, we believe the linktag form is more in line with the spirit of the standard, and encourage new users to implement the linktag form rather than the metatag form we originally proposed.

Source

Greg

[xoffie]

Hi

The websites on which our content will be appearing also pull XML info from many websites so we can´t control them as tightly as ourselves.

Is there anything we can do on our own pages to ensure we get authorship (I though Author tags, no), so we allow them to have the content but google always understands our´s is the original?

Both your solutions mean action on another company´s site.

[AndreVanKets]

It would be great if their was a plugin or Feed setting that automatically added the canonical tag for you, but im not sure about that.

If they are scraping the content via feeds, then you could include a link to the same page in the content.

Create a link in the content linking to the page URL so that when people scrape the content, the link will still be on other websites, linking to the original source. (do this creatively, perhaps hyperlink the page title in the article)

Your site wont get any penalties as long as your site was indexed first.

Greg

[NakulGoyal]

I am not sure whether that's a good solution or not, but look into the option of providing no product description in your feed. Just the Product Name, Categories, Tags/Attributes etc. Maybe a shorter version of the description...First 100 characters maybe ? That would at-least protect from future datafeed consumers....

[xoffie]

"Your site wont get any penalties as long as your site was indexed first."

So that´s 100% the case, if we were indexed first and our content is indexed no need to worry?

[EGOL]

Lots of affiliates are really really smart people.  If you require them to use rel=canonical they will know what you are doing and what the result will be.  So, if you have great affiliates don't do this to them unless you want to risk losing them.

I am an affiliate and if the program manager told me to rel=canonical my pages to his I would reply.... "you point your pages to MY site or I am leaving".

I would not be linking to them either because their product might go through a shopping cart on my domain.

If I ran an affiliate program and had very valuable and smart affiliates I would produce new content for my own site that takes me out of competition with the affiliates and let them know that they are free to use the data feed or create their own unique descriptions.  But that descriptions on my site are off limits.

You don't want your superaffiliates jumping to the competition or becoming your competition.  They are not married to you and even if they are they will file for divorce.

[EGOL]

"Your site wont get any penalties as long as your site was indexed first."

Who is indexed first  does not matter.  What matters is who has authority.  Authority often wins even if last published.