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The SERP for the Time2Dine page then progressively dropped to 103 in three days, and further to 112th by 22/5/04 10am +12hrs GMT. Interesting that my listing for "Negritude Ultramarine" was totally dropped from Google.
The only possible reason was the duplicate site penalty. The Digitalpoint Nigritude Ultramarine keyword tracker graph shows it well.
A competitor used the Google API to take an exact copy of the top ranked pages, then added several paragraphs to the end. There was enough of a similarity that Google applied its duplicate page filter, and ranked my Time2Dine entry and several others substantially lower on the SERPs'. The pages were then cloaked so that when you clicked on the Google listing for the page, you did not see the copy. However, the cache showed the copy.
I posted on WebproWorld and got personal interest from Garrett French who wrote an article on it 21 May 2004 Google API was used in the SEO War (notified by Google Alert).
The forum post Nigritude Ultramarine cloaking describes the situation well and has feedback from the perpetrator about the cloaking.
Evidence of Nigritude Ultramarine copying and cloaking
You can't get better evidence than an admission of cloaking. Have a look at the following Google search for the site: nigritude-ultramarine.new-frontier.info site.
As at 22/5/04 12:00pm +12hrs GMT, there are still several entries in Google that show cache's of competing websites. However, I am grateful that the offender has removed the pages.
If you had looked at the Google cache of the new-frontier page,
you will have noted the date the page was looked at by Google "May 17, 2004, 4:26 pm". I create this using
PHP script.
My logs show the following:
64.68.82.47 - - [17/May/2004:16:26:44 +1200] "GET
/nigritude-ultramarine/nigritudes-ultramarines.php HTTP/1.0" 200 12397 "-"
"Googlebot/2.1 (+http://www.googlebot.com/bot.html)"
64.68.82.13 - - [17/May/2004:16:26:56 +1200] "GET /interest/index.php?12
HTTP/1.0" 200 13288 "-" "Googlebot/2.1 (+http://www.googlebot.com/bot.html)"
Therefore, Google has taken copy, then new-frontier has taken copy of
Googles cache to spam the term. I am unable to stop it apart from using
no-archive for Googlebot.
My Nigritude Ultramarine page.
The offending new-frontier page (he has now removed the page) - cloaked so that only the Google cache page
shows my page
http://nigritude-ultramarine.new-frontier.info/Nigritude_Ultramarine-wierd_wacky_Nigritude_Ultramarine_SEO_P3.html (not linked since no desire to help with PR/text link)
Googles cache of the page is now blank. It did show my page.
Other new-frontier.info pages cloaked
Most of the pages on new-frontier.info are cloaked:
http://nigritude-ultramarine.new-frontier.info/Nigritude-Ultramarine.html
Most of the pages on his dictionery site are/were also cloaked:
d128.com
open-dictionary.com
How to avoid being copied and cloaked
I initially used the CONTENT="NOARCHIVE" Meta tag for my pages and have since removed it. I did not like having to use this tactic, as I believe the archive has great value to searchers. I also use it to find out when Google has cached my pages.
Have more PR and text link value than the copied page. Sometimes not easy if someone has taken a concerted effort to get you. I also believe that the freshbot effect of ranking new sites higher, gave the offending site enough PR to supercede my PR for that moment.
Nigritude Ultramarine Publicity is Great
I consider publicity is great, since it is great for alerting Google - get
site banned fast, and great to let people know that the tactic exists
generally, quite apart from the competition.
We are all getting thousands of links (maybe not too Google friendly), but
black hat like this is really not acceptable.
Thanks to the supporters of the anti copying/cloaking effort. Now there is the waiting game till Google repairs my ranking.
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