Definition
Pagejacking is the unethical practice of copying a web page from another website without the owner’s permission and presenting it as their own. The motivations for pagejacking are many including diverting traffic to better search engine ranking and boosting website content.
How Pagejacking Works
- The pagejacker identifies a target website and the content they want to copy like images, articles, or entire web pages.
- They then copy the images, texts and other elements of the target web page – either using automated tools or manually.
- The pagejacker uploads copied content to their own website or server, making it appear like they own the content.
- The pagejacker edits the URL or domain name to mimic the appearance of the original website to deceive visitors.
- Search engines may index the stolen content, making it appear in search results and potentially diverting traffic.
- The pagejacker uses the stolen content without the owner’s permission for deceptive purposes, such as generating ad revenue, increasing traffic, and gaining SEO benefits.
- Some pagejacker continuously monitor the original website for content updates and may update their stolen content to make it appear legitimate.
Signs of Pagejacking
- If you discover content identical or nearly identical to yours on another website without your consent, it indicates a clear sign of pagejacking.
- The copied content does not acknowledge or credit your website as the source.
- An unexpected surge in traffic or referrals from an unfamiliar or untrustworthy website.
- A drop in your website’s search engine ranking because of duplicate content on other sites.