Viewing Scrapping Sites Easier - Thanks To Google

Yeh you could use the old method of finding some content on your site and copying into the Google Search bar. But now there's a more fun way.

Use Google Webmaster Tools and look at the "links" tab.

Here you'll find all the sites that link to you. Looking at one of my clients that has over 5000 links (it won't go over that amount) and many of the pages it shows up are utter crap. They're just MFA sites with links to the client.

Fair enough they've got tonnes of links from local authority sites (even Red Ken's site), universities, forums etc etc. But they've become a victim of their own success.

Because they rank highly for over 4 thousand phrases these scrappers just come along, take their content or just scrape the SERPS.

Like what the hell would my client appear on a page about "Escort agency's in Little Hampton"? What really pisses me off is that they have a complete disregard for other people's sites.

My client has nothing to do with the sex industry and will undoubtedly be suffering from the unwanted links through out the internet on topics that have nothing to do with their industry.

Furthermore, why would my client want to be linked to from a page about a "working blondie tribute band needing a guitarist"?

So what can be done? Well I used to do crap like that until Google made it unprofitable for me and knocked some sense in so I changed my ways. One day I had a letter from Saga about a page I had on one of my travel sites about Saga Holidays. Anyway, I ranked very high for some of their terms but didn't have any links to them. They send me a "nice" letter asking me to remove the page. I couldn't be bothered then as I was raking it in big time so I took it down.

You could try that approach - a cease and desist.

But the incentive for people doing this sort of crap needs be taken away by the search engines. I'm sorry Matt, but more needs to be done. It seems far too often that the innocent on the internet get shafted repeatedly, but the perpetrators get away with the swags of cash!

I think I'm going to have to get my black hat out again!

But seriously, go through the links list and see who's knicking your content!