Domain that redirects to a listing page in my directory - duplicate?

Nice convenience - any risk of being penalized for duplicate content?

[surfin2u]

Someone has registered a domain name that redirects to a listing page for a company on my directory site. I want to know whether there is a risk of my site being penalized by search engines for duplicate content.

The domain's redirection leaves my Internet Explorer Address box with the url of the page on my site, and the contents of my site's page displayed, after typing in the url for the domain.

I created a test page with a link to the new domain name. I clicked on the link to see how it would show up from a php code perspective on my site, and the URI shows up as my page and the referrer is blank.

I'm not sure what kind of redirection is being used. Is there any way to tell?

If this is a safe thing to do, then I may offer this option to my clients myself, since it is a nice idea for them. I need to be sure first, that I won't be shooting myself in the foot by creating a situation in which the search engines will see the content of the new domain as being a duplicate of content in my directory.

I know that I can create entry pages for my clients that want their own domain name, but the redirection of the domain name is simpler if it's ok. Is it? Thanks for your help!

[surfin2u]

Is anyone aware of instances where businesses have domains redirected to their listings in a directory? I could really use an answer on this one, as I'm waiting to decide whether to offer this service to my directory's listing clients that don't have their own websites.

[surfin2u]

This could be a nice little money-maker for all you directory owners out there! What do you say?

[stoner3221]

That would be nothing I would want to get into. The closest thing to it we do is give them web space or a content advertising page in the directory. We replaced the ROS links with presales pages.

[surfin2u]

That would be nothing I would want to get into.

Your reason is the concern about a penalty from search engines for duplicate content, or do you have some other reason?

We replaced the ROS links with presales pages.

What is an ROS link?

I have no way of determining when someone is visiting a page of my directory by using a regular link or the new domain that someone has redirected to that page. I am unable to display a different page to people coming to the listing page by way of the domain.

Thanks for your reply.

[stoner3221]

I don’t think at this point it’s going to be a big duplicate content threat but I would not want to be the first one doing it to find out. An ROS link is a run of service link. In short the ad is on every page.

[surfin2u]

Thanks! Do you think that I could say that another domain redirecting to a page of mine might be a violation of my copyright?

The problem I have with blocking this sort of thing is that I'm unable to detect it. The only way that I found out about it was from the listing owner, who had someone do him a "favor" by creating his domain and redirecting it to his listing.

[stoner3221]

I’m no expert in copyright law but it’s done all the time. I get sites submitted thought the free submission frequently redirected to Yahoo and the ODP from little worms who are trying to get a good page rank for the domain and sell it on e-bay or something.