{"id":20549,"date":"2023-05-01T14:47:12","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T13:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpbeveiligen.nl\/?p=20549"},"modified":"2023-05-01T14:47:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T13:47:12","slug":"what-is-cloaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpbeveiligen.nl\/en\/what-is-cloaking\/","title":{"rendered":"What is cloaking?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Cloaking is a technique where you provide specific text\/information to Google that is not in your website.<\/p>\n
The visitor will not see that text\/information. But Google will!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This technique (false trick) was used by many SEO practitioners and web agencies in the 2000s+ to make a website rank higher in Google search results.<\/p>\n
Obviously, this technique worked for a short period of time and then had mostly negative effects on your website’s results and reliability in Google.<\/p>\n
Google soon realized the trick and changed the algorithm and did double checks to see through the trick.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong> You have a web agency. Your website states that you create websites for 1500 to 2500 euros each. The page title is: professional websites from 1500 euro.<\/p>\n With cloaking you give Google false information. Google has several ways to detect tricks. If the trick is discovered by Google the value of the domain, used to be called “Pagerank” will drop causing you to rank less high in Google’s search engine. From a 2nd, 3rd or 5th position on the first page of Google, you can just drop 10 positions, which means you will be in the 12th, 13th or 15th position. That’s the 2nd page that quite few people click on. You can lose so many website visitors because they simply don’t see you listed when they search for you or your services.<\/p>\n A lowering of the search position is the most favorable situation, if cloaking or other tricks are found to be used to deceive or rob visitors the website runs the risk of:<\/p>\n Being completely banned from search results<\/p>\n Cloaking is the ideal way for hackers to get their own website in Google, on the back of your website!<\/p>\n Often cloaking is applied in 2 steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n A redirect is made from your page to the hacker’s website, often to expensive (and sometimes illegal) products that the hacker – aka criminal – sells through a webshop. Someone searches Google for v i a g r a, for example, or other e r o t i c products. But… if visitors are sent via your website to an unsavory website, then you will quickly notice!<\/p>\n No you don’t see that quickly, the hackers use different techniques to show you your own website and redirect other visitors.<\/p>\n Some examples:<\/p>\n a. One piece of code makes the redirection to the unsavory website not work when you are logged in. It damages your website’s reputation, but worst of all, you don’t realize it quickly.<\/p>\n
\nThe page title is then called, for example: The best and cheapest websites in the Netherlands!
\nAnd the description becomes, for example: Fast and cheap a good website? Professional and fast.<\/p>\nHow does Google detect cloaking?<\/h2>\n
\nPeriodically, special programs are run by Google to check website for hidden texts, cloaking, keyword spamming and the other 50+ tricks used by many.<\/p>\nWhen these tricks found in your website.<\/h2>\n
How cloaking is now used by hackers<\/h2>\n
\nThe information for Google is modified, see example below:<\/p>\n
\nThe searcher on Google sees a page appear with a great offer, but on your domain name.
\nWhen that person clicks on the search result, they are redirected to the hacker\/criminal’s webshop. So there is another piece of malware involved besides cloaking, but if the hacker can cloak your website, he has usually also put a redirect through the Htacces, the database, or a link in your website.<\/p>\n
\nb. Through a cookie or browser session, the redirection is only used 1 time.
\nIn short, you see it 1 time and then never again. Usually you then think that you yourself clicked wrong the first time or that the problem is already solved.
\nBut every new visitor does get redirected!
\nThe rerouting trick is also not easily reported to you by your website visitors because they are reluctant to tell you that through your website they suddenly landed on an e r o t i c website….<\/p>\nCloaking is a serious problem that is becoming increasingly common.<\/h2>\n