Welcome to the Google Places SEO Citations blog at Tucson SEO Solutions.

This blog covers local SEO which is dominated by Google, Google Places and the need for citations. The blog also covers just about any thing related to Google search results and related topics. I hope that you might glean some useful resources while you are here.

The Hassles Of Getting Your Content Stolen

Owning a popular and successful website can be a lot of fun. It can also be a lot of work. Then again, It can also be a real big hassle. Today, out of the blue I got a feeling that my content was getting ripped off… again. So I clicked over to Copyscape which I have written about previously on this blog. Copyscape searches the net for possible duplicate content issues.

I have previously discovered stolen content using this site. Then I would later file a DMCA take down report on one offending site. Well, today I found that someone had created Tucson SEO Solutions on Blogspot. Someone was using a Google blogging site to rip off my company name and the content of my home page. Google doesn’t much respect trademarks but it does address stolen content or I sure hope so.

Copyscape also located a Tucson based design company was ripping off my content in adds that they were placing on Backpage .com. I called and left Michael of (deleted – he apologized info removed) and left a message requesting that he stop what he is doing. It’s only a few lines but it includes my signature line. One that I am especially proud of.

Update 07/11/2009 Six weeks later Michael has discovered this post which is buried on page three of the Google results. He finally relented and said that he was sorry in an email today. He also seemed confused about the reference to Snowflake in this post and thought it was a racial slur. No Michael Snowflake is a town in Arizona. I was using basic SEO techniques to target the term Snowflake SEO. Any good SEO provider would know this.

Since you don’t understand SEO when you see it how can you then go about selling yourself as an SEO provider. This posts ranks # 5 in the Google results for Snowflake website design. I don’t waste posts Michael I optimize everything that I do.

Update: 07/23/2009 Forgiven! I just hope you learned a lesson Michael! His apology was left as a comment below. He could not bring himself to call or answer his phone when I called. He apologized before in a comment but then he threatened to do it again, if I didn’t remove the post.

That’s not what I would call an apology. I am relenting, as he did sound more sincere this time around and I really don’t care anymore. I’ve got plenty of small fires to extinguish elsewhere.

Update 08/22/2009: Well, I recently checked Copyscape and for the very first time it did not show that anyone was ripping off my content. What a relief!

The point here is that you, me, and all of us must protect our content and company name at all times. I read a post a while back that suggested that we protect our business names on all the major sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social sites. I thought it was a good idea but not one that I was ready to implement at that time. I never considered that someone would grab my company name and content and put it on Blogger.

It took a bit of work to figure out how to report someone ripping off your content using Blogger. Trying to contact Google about anything can be a daunting task. After about 20 minutes I figured out the process.

I have already begun the process of creating accounts on many of the major social media sites but that only scratches the surface. Protecting ones name online can be almost a full time job even when you are not being attacked. Think about all the social media sites out there that have blogging capabilities. Now, perhaps, you can get a clearer picture of how big the challenge can be.

I checked this persons other blogs and found that other great sites are getting a similar treatment such as SEOdiva and Bruce Clay along with a few dozen other sites.

As for me, I just don’t get it. I am basically a fairly ethical person and that works well for me. I just don’t get what motivates someone to go after someone else that they have never personally known. When someone does these things for thrills they don’t care about the personal and financial damage that they often inflict. Most of us are small business owners just struggling to stay afloat in these difficult times. We are often not prepared for the cost or time involved to keep on top of things.

Intellectually I understand the thrill and satisfaction they must receive but spiritually and personally I can not. While I don’t believe in revenge I can appreciate the motivation behind such actions. It’s the biblical version of “an eye for an eye.” But just screwing with someone because you can is like a foreign language to me. I can’t understand it.

As for the guy that stolen content for his ads, well that say’s two things to me that he’s not a very good writer and maybe our content is just plain good!

What say you?

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