OK, OK, I admit it. This post’s title – “Why PLR (Private Label Rights) Articles Suck…” is inflammatory, and quite frankly, it’s meant to be. I had to get your attention somehow. 
That said, let me explain why you should avoid using PLR articles on your web site if at all possible. Yes, I’m well aware that there are plenty of gurus who recommend using private label rights to beef up your site’s inventory of content. I don’t happen to agree with them.
At all.
And that’s even if you take the time to re-write them in your own words (usually the one stipulation made by the gurus who recommend this strategy), which most people simply don’t do.
There are several reasons why…
1) Excellent content rules the day: If you’re using a content-based web site to attract Search Engine traffic, build your credibility and effectively monetize your audience, PLR articles won’t do the trick. Today, providing generic, standard, readily-accessible content material is not going to establish you in your visitor’s mind. And it certainly will not establish you as a leader in your niche.
And I can guarantee you won’t find any revolutionary or particularly insightful information in any PLR package you buy. Certainly not at the $3-$12 per article price.
I know. I’ve actually bought numerous private label rights articles over the years thinking I could perhaps leverage the content somehow. Nope. Nien. Nyet. Nada.
Sure, it’s adequate, I agree. But comparing PLR articles to properly researched, insightful material of your own is like comparing a meal at a 5-star restaurant to a Swanson meat pie. Sure, the meat pie tastes fine, is easy to prepare, and covers most of your immediate nutritional needs. But your guests aren’t exactly going to be crooning about your culinary skills. Nor are they going to beat a path to your door the next time you offer, “c’mon over for supper!”
To repeat, “adequate” just ain’t gonna “cut it.”
So why bother?
If you don’t have the time to create quality content of your own, you’re better off to wait until you do, or get into a different business.
I’m serious.
I’d rather have a small, slow-growing web site packed with unique, quality content than a large one based on PLR articles, syndicated material, and what have you.
2) Duplicated contented is not a credibility builder: As a little experiment, a few weeks ago I bought a PLR package of articles from a reliable source. I then copied and pasted the first couple of sentences of the first article directly into Google’s search box, pressed “Search”…
And “whammo!”
Dozens of results.
Plenty of folks had bought the same package I did, and posted the articles, word-for-word, on their web sites. Now I realize most folks are not going to know the posted PLR material is not unique to your web site. But it’s not something I’d be willing to risk.
And hey, let’s face it; it’s pretty cheesy.
3) Possible Search Engine (SE) issues: To date, I am not aware of any ranking penalties being applied to web sites making liberal use of private label rights articles. But it’s not improbable that the SEs could at any time start querying their databases for duplicate content and sites that are based heavily upon it, and begin applying a ranking penalty.
Think about it; the more likely a site is to be based on PLR material and duplicated content, the less likely it is going to be a genuine authority site. Ergo, the less likely it is going to effectively address a visitor’s search query.
Bada-bing, bada-boom. Say good-bye to your rankings.
So a big thumbs-down on PLR articles altogether?
Well, I’d agree that using PLR articles sparingly and re-writing them in your own words is unlikely to be detrimental to your web site and your business. However, I’d have to ask why you’d want to even bother investing time in this – how much longer would it take to write your own, unique, “one-off” articles, anyway?
Give ‘em a miss. That’s my recommendation.
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