I spotted an interesting thread at Google Webmaster Help where a manufacturer is upset that his vendors outrank him for his own products. The manufacturer provides an XML feed for their vendors and resellers to use and sell, but it is the same content the manufacturer uses on his own site.

He asked what he can do to make sure Google knows that his site is the source of this content and thus rank higher than his resellers? In that, Google’s JohnMu replied offering a glimpse of insight into how to differentiate his content and make it unique enough for Google to find it rank worthy.

JohnMu spoke a bit about the Google algorithms, saying:

Key take-aways?

Character count not importantUnique “sense” is importantTwo unique sentences may do the trickUse content your not sending to resellers

None of this is crazy, but we do see Google saying things that they may not have said in the past. Such as the length of the content is not important, a sentence or two may be enough to make it unique enough and something about “unique sense.”

Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.