Other domain name showing up in Google when my full domain name is typed in search

[friday]

Up until recently when you typed our full "domainname.com" in google search it was always there in #1 spot. The site was just a few page website until we launched properly six weeks ago.

Our site started to do well in search and that aspect is fine.

But as we are advertising direct to customers we were finding a lot of people started to type in our domain in the address bar and in google search by people typing in the complete "domainname.com".

The all of a sudden last week Google replaced our domain name with a domain name typo website, similar to ours. Basically, this other website is now getting all our traffic for anyone who types our full domain name in google.

Now all our advertising is being taken by this other company having replaced our very domain name. We already have had a number of people contact us along the line of (that website address on your business card takes us to a different site, etc).

So what do we do? Lot's of people don't realise that typing in our full legal domain name in google is going to get them redirected to another website.

I would appreciate any suggestions on what to do.

Searching Yahoo, searching Bing and other search engines shows our website domain as normal in #1 position. There is absolutely zero mention of ther other domain in these other engines.

I can't help but feel someone is pulling a fast one, but I am not sure who. Because just as we start to advertise heavily all types ins of our domain name in google only are being redirected to this other site.

Looking at the larger picture, all search engines should be required by law to return a domain name in the number one spot when the full name is typed in, unless of course there is alegal matter. I am not allowed to pull up outside a McDonalds Drive through window with a food cart and block them from trading while taking over their business. But yet this is what is happening to us. To me this is plain theft. We advertise our domain name, people enter it correctly in the Google search engine as a short cut and then they are presented with a different company.

Domain owners need to be protected from this kind of baiting. I was chatting to someone on another forum and was basically told that the other website could be using our full web address in their tags etc. So that is how google search could be getting mixed up.

 

[draggar]

I had the opposite problem once. (RealName.com) was being used to impersonate someone (including selling illegal copies of their bookx) so with their permission I set up (RealName.org).

I spent months Googling "RealName.com" and contacting site that pointed to the .com that the .com wasn't really them and the .org was - I even gave them (RealName)'s email address (with his permission) so they could verify.

It took months and several artilcles on his site but the .org finally started to beat the .com in several search terms. I can only assume that the owner of the .com lost business and eventually dropped the name (and I was able to get it). (Heh, now I have a .com that redirects to a .org?).

Look for backlinks that point to the typo - if there's a lot them then it can push their domain higher.

If you have a TM on the domain you can send them a C&D on using your domain in the tags (if they're doing this).

 

[Theo]

Welcome to the wonderful world of SEO.

 

[katherine]

Maybe you can take action against the typo owner on TM grounds if they siphoning traffic off your brand.

 

[Gerry]

The all of a sudden last week Google replaced our domain name with a domain name typo website, similar to ours.

Is the typo website full of your content?

Has you content been scraped and placed on this other site?

IF the answer is no, then there really may not be too much you can do.

Basically, this other website is now getting all our traffic for anyone who types our full domain name in google.

If it is people actually misspelling your site name, then that is an issue involving the visitor that google can not control.

If you have a name that is prone to common misspellings - again, google can not control someone's inability to spell and education, or lack thereof.

If your site's success has given the idea to someone else to reg a typo of your name, then that is the upside (and downside) to being successful.


I see this as possibly having two resolutions...either offer to buy the typo or spend money in legal services to put a stop to it.

---------- Post added at 05:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:15 PM ----------

Maybe you can take action against the typo owner on TM grounds if they siphoning traffic off your brand.

That's IF a TM is involved. Nothing to indicate that from the OP.

It would most likely be a copyright issue if the other site is scraping.

If it is not scraping and not a copyright issue, the only other recourse would be the "confusingly similar" claim of a WIPO.

 

[ukbackorder]

Welcome to google screwing you. I have found recently that people typing one of my domains are taken to a page with results *for a different domain* and a little line at the top of google saying 'showing results for *other domain* did you want to search for *original domain typed in the search*?' Bascially non .com are screwed now and even typo domains with more links are going to win. Maybe time to go back to typosquatting.

 

[Gerry]

Maybe time to go back to typosquatting.

yeah...on your own names and sites.

 

[friday]

Thanks guys for your replies, yes RobM we are suffering the same as you describe. Google is virtually a monopoly, yet there is not a single control in place in government or commerce law that I am aware off that mandates that they deliver the user to the full domain when it is requested. (search "domainname.tld")

Imagine dialing directory enquiries and asking for the number of a specific McDonalds location but the operator refuses to give you the number and instead insists on giving you the number for a Subway, because that is what he felt you should be asking for instead. This has something to do with passing off in law. It feels like Google are passing off our domain name by redirecting people to this other domain name.

All Domain Holders are entitled to have their web address as the #1 spot when the full domain is typed in Google.

Bing and Yahoo posts your web address in number 1 spot when the domain is typed in in full. It now seems like if we want to have users come to our address, Google is forcing us to purchase adwords for our exact domain name. If this is the case, it is bloody criminal.

All the offline advertising of our domain name is being shunted into this other website by Google Search everytime someone places our full domain in google search as a shortcut to our address. The EU Data Protection Directive is geared towards consumer, it is time that they now focused on protecting businesses from this blatant passing off.

Here is a link to an ongoing EU Antitrust Probe. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...rtment-to-launch-investigation-111036999.html

"Consumer Watchdog called on the Justice Department to launch an antitrust investigation of Google in April. In June Consumer Watchdog issued a report showing how Google uses its dominant position in online search to muscle its way into other Internet businesses, ultimately limiting consumer choice."

"It's long been clear that Google unfairly uses its dominance in search to benefit its own services," said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog's Inside Google project. "I'm pleased with the European announcement, but this is a U.S. company and it is past time for our authorities to act decisively."

 

[Gerry]

I'm dealing with a site that is a direct knockoff from one of my slogans/taglines.

Well, I did not TM the slogan/tagline so there is really nothing for me to ***** about.

I am sure I am losing traffic to this as well. Yes, it pisses me off when I look for my site's ranking of certain keywords terms/phrase and find them listed a couple before me in the rankings. I still get the number one spot in several search terms but it is annoying to see them. The primary difference is they charge for a service which I provide for free.

 

[David G]

Looks like you have a serious SEO problem with Google not indexing your site as they should since the website should automatically resolve when the complete url with extension is typed in to the search box. I have tested a bunch of my sites and they all go right to the site direct via the search box.

For example, try entering the full URL with extension of a site (i.e. domaining roulette url in my signature below). You can also do that with most other sites and they should work if the site is indexed OK in the SE.

It's likely your domain was banned, seriously penalized or deindexed by Google for some reason. You can try sending them a reinclusion request.




---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:27 PM ----------

...all Domain Holders are entitled to have their web address as the #1 spot when the full domain is typed in Google. ...

They already do since a search with extension should go direct to the site (which is even better vs ranking #1) assuming the URL is well indexed