Catching Your Website Contents Thieves

I know the word "Thieves" is not new to us. Their activities did not start today but from the Stone Age by taking what did not belong to them without permission or by force. You will agree with me that as the technology is improving so their techniques get sophisticated. Online theft is not only in the area of credit cards or affiliate money or hacking to download secret or paid information but also website contents.

Why Website Contents?

Have you ever wondered why people visit some websites than others? What make them to come back and even introduce their friends, colleagues, etc to visit the sites? Do you think it is the website designs or image pictures? You will agree with me it is not flash or animated pictures but the answer is contents. Website content is the "King", it drives traffic to the site, makes visitors to come back and introduce others. Because some webmasters have known this, they go to any length to get good website contents. They steal contents (contents, graphics images, codes, video files, etc) from other people sites.

How To Catch Web Contents Thieves?

It may be difficult to start searching through million of websites to know whether your contents have been stolen, off course if you do, it may take you a month or more or you get frustrated. Search engines are the answer. Go to the popular search engines like Google.com, Yahoo.com, etc and following the steps below.

(a) Type your website name to search engine box. You will be able to know how many sites that link to you. Search through these site and see whether they have taken your contents without given reference to you.

(b) Type your company name to search engine box. Search through the sites that appear and find out whether they use your content without permission or reference to your site.

(c) Type your unique graphic name, for most Webmaster will just take image without editing the name.

(d) Type your article titles or headlines to search engine box and it will reveal the sites that are using your articles. Check whether they give reference to your website by linking to you.

How To Locate The Thieves?

(i) Using domain lookup: Who is? : Is a tool use to view the owner's or company's name, postal address, e-mail address and phone number of registered domain name. You can simply type Whois.com to a web browser address space and lookup for the owner of the offender website. Also, go to Google.com, type domain lookup in its search box. This takes you to many websites that enable sourcing the owner of domain name.

(ii) By checking the contact address, email address and phone number on the offenders website.

Contact The Offenders.

Having known their contact information? Contact them by sending mail or make call or both to let the offenders know that they have used your website contents without approval. Tell them to remove the contents or they should acknowledge you by putting your website link.

Protect your Website Contents.

(a) You can protect your contents by putting copyright on each page of your website.

(b) By using code or software that will prevent your graphic image from being saved.