Content rewriting is the process of taking existing content—whether it's text, images, or videos—and rewriting or reworking it in a different way while maintaining the original meaning.
Content rewriting can involve various tasks, such as summarizing a long article into a short summary, translating text from one language to another, and more.
This article will focus on written content, specifically rewriting articles originally written by the same author or rewriting articles from other websites and republishing them. The rewriting can be done manually or automatically using artificial intelligence.
This post is intended for website managers and article writers who rewrite existing articles and republish them. It aims to address the question of how beneficial it is to publish rewritten content. Does it provide the same value in search engine results? Can rewritten articles rank well? And more.
Overview
Generally, rewriting written content can be beneficial if done within reasonable limits. For example, someone might summarize a long page into a quick and easy-to-read summary. Another person might rewrite a scientific page with complex terms to make it more readable and understandable for the general public.
Rewriting should produce something positive, adding value to the original content—whether by shortening, updating, simplifying, or adapting it to better reach the reader.
Rewriting content is beneficial as long as the goal is to help people. Conversely, content rewritten without adding value or for unhelpful purposes may not be good.
For example, merely replacing synonyms in an article from another website to make it appear original and then publishing it on my site is not a good practice. Besides not adding value, this is considered content theft.
Putting in a little effort to add value to a rewritten article doesn't require much effort and can make a significant difference.
Examples of Content Rewriting
Content rewriting can take various forms, some beneficial to people, and some not:
Good Examples
- Rewriting News: To make it easier to understand.
- Rewriting Articles: To highlight key points.
- Rewriting Lessons: To make them more comprehensible for students.
Bad Examples
- Rewriting News: Just to make it look original and avoid copyright issues.
- Rewriting Articles: To republish them for more views without adding value.
Is Content Rewriting a Good Practice?
To answer this question in detail, if the goal of rewriting content is to benefit the reader, it can be considered a good practice. However, if the goal is to disguise the originality of the content or rewrite it without adding real value, it can be seen as a bad practice.
Content Rewriting and SEO
Nowadays, search engine optimization relies on the final quality and value of the content to users. If rewritten content provides value to the reader and doesn't violate search engine policies (like Google) or the original author's rights, it can appear and rank well in search results. If the rewritten content lacks value or violates copyright, it will likely fail in search results and may be excluded.
Overall, the presence of a rewritten page in search results depends on its usefulness, purpose, and final quality. High-quality content will stand out, while poor-quality content will be removed or pushed down in search results.
Content That Cannot Be Rewritten
Not all content can be rewritten. Some content loses its value if rewritten, and some cannot be rewritten without losing its original value. This includes:
- Religious Texts: Like the words of God or the sayings of prophets.
- Legal Texts: Like decrees and contracts.
- Personal Content: Like letters and family records.
Conclusion
Content rewriting is an important process that can greatly benefit the reader if done to help people. However, it may not be a good practice if used for other purposes than benefiting people primarily.
