Is this really necessary?

To some extent, the answer to that question depends on your own standards. But given that the nature of search results will bring up a number of easily accessible documents all on the same subject, it becomes important if you care about making a good impression with your visitors. Think about how a visitor will feel if she reads page after page with the same information written in different ways. That is the real danger with PLR material, but it is also a danger for other material if it is researched poorly.

Poor research shows in a number of ways. On one level, writers who clearly don't understand their subject often resort to restating things in different ways throughout the same article. Or they use a lot of filler words to 'pad out' content. It's the reading equivalent of eating a twinkie - minus the sugar rush.

Poor research can take more insidious forms, however. An article may have a lot of great information, but it turns out to be a composite of the top 3 search results for a given term, right down to the assumptions about a subject, and the type of information included and excluded. Whilst some people may appreciate having it all in one place, it does nothing to distinguish the writer as an expert in the mind of his reader.

If you have a good knowledge about a topic, you can at least look at the information online with a more critical eye. This can in fact result in a truly original article - original in its' perspective, and by extension, with additional original facts. If you aren't truly an expert on your subject yet, you can at least look a little further afield to find material for your websites.

One excellent place to look is magazines. I buy a lot of magazines every month. Whilst storage of them becomes something of a problem, they give me great ideas, and are a handy reference when I need some extra facts. More than that, they provide an insight into the type of things that consumers in my niches are interested in. That insight can, over time, solidify into your own expertise.

Books are another of my favorites. It probably helps that I am something of a collector of books anyway. But I always keep an eye out on the sale bins in bookstores. I've found some great volumes on topics that others may consider a bit odd, but were exactly related to niches I had, or was planning to develop.

The beauty of good research is that as you collect this information, your mind will try to make sense of it, order it. By engaging this process more consciously, you can develop a really unique perspective, one that will then inform future writing on the subject. Ask yourself questions about the topic as you read. Jot them down. Look for contrasting viewpoints.

Using these techniques, your PLR and web content will not only satisfy the search engines, but your visitors as well. And a little time spent doing some research will mean a faster writing output later on.