Non primary domain ranking higher in searches

[digitalclubb]

Hey Guys,

Hopefully I can explain this so that you can understand, let me know if you need me to clarify any particular points.

I have a primary domain for my website, however someone has also pointed their domain at my server that has nothing to do with us or our website.

Typing a keyword in a search engine will list our website as this has been crawled but it's listing the domain as their domain and not our primary.

Is this because their domain has greater value then our primary?

What's the best course of action to resolve the issue?

The reason I ask is because the domain could potentially have a negative effect on business.

If I setup hosting for this second domain and setup a redirect on it, all the traffic that is trying to reach us via respective search terms are then directed away from our site.

I have been in contact with the domain administrator but they are yet to reply to my correspondence.

Has anyone experienced something similar and come up with a good way to resolve it?

Thanks guys, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[duncan274]

I think you need to clarify what does someone has pointed their domain at my server mean?

if I setup hosting for this second domain and setup a redirect on it, all the traffic that is trying to reach us via respective search terms are then directed away from our site

how can you do this if its not your domain?

I dont think I could answer if i understood but i will watch and learn when someone does answer

Good luck

[digitalclubb]

Hi,

To clarify:-

• Someone has a domain pointed at my server, the servers default site is my website.
• You type in a search term for my website, it lists their domain and not mine.

I have since added a redirect on my server for that domain but now I am losing traffic.

Very annoying!

[duncan274]

as I thought too advanced for me someone will answer soon. have these people done some kind of dodgy technique to steal your traffic

[Cyrus-Shepard]

Unfortunately, this might possibly an attempt by a spammer at what is called a 302 hijacking. Google says 302 hijackings haven't worked in years, but many webmasters disagree wholeheartedly.

(on the other hand, it might not be this at all)

Basically, a spammer points a temporary redirect (check the redirection through a tool like URI Valet to see if it's a 302). Often if the site has a slightly higher authority, it can fool the search engines into hijacking your traffic. A deeper explanation here.

Another possibility is that your site has been hacked. Check for spyware, check Webmaster Tools and check to make sure that your domain is not the one being redirected. In Webmaster Tools make sure there hasn't been a change of address, and do a fetch as Googlebot to make sure your pages show up correctly.

Finally, you can fight back.

1. Contact the offenders hosting company and let them know
2. (a scary letter from a lawyer might help
3. File a spam report with Google
4. Post the issue on Webmaster Central

If it is an actual 302 hijacking, Google should take care of it fairly quickly.

Often, these aren't 302 hijackings at all, but are caused by internal site issues. Do a thorough site audit first before taking further steps.

[digitalclubb]

Very in-depth response so thanks for this.

I will see how quickly Google reindexes my proper site now that I have a redirect in place for that not so wanted domain.

I will also send another 'calm' e-mail to the domain owner to see if I can get them to respond and point it away from my server.

Thanks again!