Understanding cybersquatting in SEO: a scourge for brands

Through our SEO Agency Optimize 360

Cybersquatting

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Cybersquatting is an increasingly common phenomenon in the world of SEO, and it is important to understand its various facets.

This is actually the usurpation of domain names with the aim of profiting from the reputation of a brand or entity by capturing their visitors by mistake.

To give you a better understanding of this practice, this article looks at 10 essential points about cybersquatting in SEO.

1. Malicious acquisition of domain names

Cybersquatting involves registering Internet domains with names similar to those of popular companies or brands, in order to attract web traffic normally destined for the latter. Cybersquatters hope to take advantage typing errors made by Internet users when entering the URL of their choice.

2. Infringement of trademark rights

One of the major problems with cybersquatting is that it violates trademark rightsby illegally exploiting their image and reputation. This can damage not only the image of the brand concerned, but also its relationship with its customers, who may feel cheated and disappointed.

3. Theft of personal information

In some cases, the aim of cybersquatters is to set up fraudulent sites that recover personal information Internet users (emails, logins, passwords, etc.). This practice is often associated with phishing.

4. Abusive use of redirects

Cybersquatters can also use techniques such as automatic redirection to direct visitors to their own websitefrom a URL similar to the one they initially wanted to visit. This enables malicious individuals to artificially increase traffic to their sites and/or generate revenue from advertising or the sale of counterfeit products.

5. Disruption to natural referencing

By usurping the identity of a popular brand, cybersquatters generally seek to take advantage of its search engine positioning and traffic, which can have a negative impact on the natural referencing of the real entity. Indeed, if several competing sites are indexed under the same name, this can lead to a dilution of authority in search engine results page rankings.

6. Typosquatting and other forms of cybersquatting

Typosquatting is one of the various forms that cybersquatting can take, consisting of exploiting common typing errors made by Internet users. For example, a cybersquatter can record the domain name "amazon.co.uk" in order to attract visitors who might have wanted to go to "amazon.co.uk". Other common forms include homoglyph squattingthe use of characters similar to those used by the trademark (e.g. ovnivoyage.com instead of onvavoyages.com), or the combosquattingThis consists of associating a brand name with other words or terms (e.g. adidaschaussurespourtous.fr).

7. Speculation in domain names

In some cases, cybersquatters register domain names corresponding to future brands in the hope that they will seek to buy them back at a later date. These people are often investors prepared to speculate on the potential value of these estates once they are associated with well-known brands.

8. Solutions to combat cybersquatting

1. Check regularly if domain names similar to its own have been registered.
2. Register yourself the possible variants of your domain name, in particular those based on common typing errors and the most popular extensions (.com, .fr, .org).
3. Watch the new domain extensions available, and evaluate the opportunity to register those that could be strategic for your brand.
4. Asserting your rights to the competent authorities in the event of proven usurpation.

9. Intervention by the competent authorities

Certain bodies that are supposed to regulate the domain name market can help in the fight against cybersquatting. In France, for example, you can contact AFNIC (Association française pour le nommage internet en coopération) in the event of a dispute over a usurped domain name. There are also international bodies such as the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) which deal with cybersquatting cases worldwide.

10. The legal consequences of cybersquatting

Cybersquatting is considered illegal in many countries, so victims can prosecute those responsible in court.

However, legal proceedings can be time-consuming and expensive, with no guarantee of success. In some cases, it may be more attractive for companies to negotiate amicably with cybersquatters to buy back disputed domain names.