PLR content can be a godsend when you’re trying to quickly build an online business. It allows you to shortcut your content creation and come up with quick products which you can sell for a profit.
However, as with all things, PLR is not perfect. It has its limitations… but the astute PLR user will be able to circumnavigate these limitations with the right knowledge.
1. SEO
SEO is the acronym for search engine optimization, and is probably the biggest limitation when it comes to private label rights content. Since several people will be buying the same content and using it on their blogs/web properties, etc. the search engines will not view the content as unique.
Google will probably spider one of the user’s PLR content and ignore the rest of the similar content. While you’re not penalized, your content is also not recognized.
The best way to circumnavigate this problem will be to rewrite about 51% to 55% of the content so that it appears unique in Google’s eyes. Rewriting is easier than writing a whole new article from scratch.
You should also be aware of onpage optimization rules such as inserting your primary keyword in your title, first paragraph and so on. There are many other factors to take note of.
Going into the specifics of SEO is beyond the scope of this article… but what you need to know is that the PLR you use has to be edited and tailored to meet the SEO requirements. Then your content will have a much higher chance of ranking.
This PLR limitation can be overcome with some work and knowledge of SEO.
2. Longer/Incomplete content
It’s common to find PLR articles that are around 400 words long. While the content may be outstanding, sometimes they just may not be long enough for your needs.
For example, if you’re trying to rank for a term such as ‘yoga for back pain’, one of the first things you should do is Google search this keyword and look at the first 3 results.
If all the results bring back blog posts which are around 1,200 to 1,500 words long, you can bet that your 400-word PLR article is not going to be any match for these longer content pieces.
This limitation can be overcome by combining 3 or more PLR articles to create a longer piece of content that’s close to the word count of the other sites. You’ll need to collate different PLR pieces and mix-and-match them until you have a coherent blog post.
Do a bit of SEO tweaking and you’ll have content that can rank too. Once again, overcoming the limitation will require effort on your part. It’s never as easy as just copying and pasting.
3. Rebranding
One of the biggest mistakes that PLR buyers make, especially when using ‘Biz-In-A-Box’ PLR content, is to use the content exactly as it is. When you do this, you become part of the herd who bought the same PLR.
Your product has no branding or differentiation. When this is the case, potential buyers will look for the cheapest product and you’ll struggle to make a substantial profit because everyone will be lowering their prices to compete.
The key to overcoming this limitation will be to rebrand your PLR. All you need to do is hire a graphic designer or a minisite designer to create a brand new look for your PLR product.
Now you’ll be unique and no one else’s product will look like yours (even if all are selling the same product). Just do a Google search for ‘minisite design’ and you’ll have several sites show up that you can hire to rebrand your PLR.
Once again, this will not only require effort… but you’ll also need the budget to hire the designer. It’s affordable, but nevertheless an extra cost which will put off many beginners.
The good news is that fewer people will go the extra mile and there will be less competition for you. Rebranding your PLR is one of the BEST investments you could make in your online business.
4. Customer dissatisfaction
This is a rare problem, but it can happen – especially if you do NOT rebrand your PLR. The customer who buys your product will not know it’s PLR. Most won’t even be aware of the concept of PLR.
What they will know is that it’s duplicate content if they bought another product that was exactly the same as yours – because another PLR buyer is selling the same content too.
It’s a coincidence, but it can happen. At times like this, it’s best to quickly offer a refund and placate the customer.
At the end of the day, PLR is an excellent expedient to build an online business, but it does have its problems.
As long as you’re willing to put in some virtual elbow grease, almost all PLR hiccups can be smoothed out, and you can turn the content into profits… and this priority should always be at the forefront of your mind.