Has my pages been hijacked?

[webbyfro]

Sometimes I realize just how inadquate I am when it comes to this whole web stuff. I'm not a very technie person, I started my site just to cover movies because that's where my passion is. Two months ago, I was forced to switch domains, and moved all my content over to the new site -- different site name, all the same content. And then I realized something -- GOOGLE HAD BANNED ME!

At first, I always thought it was maybe because Google thought I had duplicate content. This was my theory for weeks.

And then today, something occurred to me, and it might have been underneath my nose the whole time. "Has someone hijacked my pages?"

Here's the situation: I run a movie review site, and on all my page titles are phrases such as: "Movie Review ¦ MOVIE TITLE HERE". And if I happen to review a Japanese movie, the title would be "Japanese Movie Review ¦ MOVIE TITLE HERE", etc.

Recently, I've noticed something, especially in light of the fact that my new reviews pages (my whole site, actually) aren't showing up on Google at all.

Example: I have, on my site, a review for a movie called (just an example) "SamuraiX". So, in the title, I would put, "Japanese Movie Review ¦ SamuraiX". Now, because Google doesn't index me, when you type in exactly that -- "Japanese Movie Review SamuraiX" MY PAGE COMES UP first.

But here's the thing -- it's NOT my page. I mean, if you click on the URL, you go to my page, in a sort of re-direct, but underneath the listing, it's an URL for another site completely! This site is a sort of reviewing index -- basically they cull links from other sites, plaster it on their sites, and offers it up as links to the ORIGINAL sites. I.e. They DON'T CLAIM it's their movie review; they just provide links to the ORIGINAL pages. I.e. They're up front that they're just a hub, and they link to other movie reviews. That's basically their entire "content" -- links to other sites.

But what I don't understand is why the URL underneath the Google listing is for THEIR site, but if you click on it it takes you to MY site? Why would they (this other site) do this, since it doesn't seem to do anything for them -- I'm getting the visitor. Or am I?

Is this what they mean by page hijacking? Are they somehow doing something to my site -- that may explain my banishment from Google?

PLEASE ADVISE.

[webbyfro]

Okay, guys, I've read even more about hijacking pages, and it seems absolutely 100% positive that my pages have been hijacked by this reviewing hub.

Question: Does this in anyway contribute to me being banned from Google? Should I tell Google? How do I tell Google?

Thanks.

[webbyfro]

Update: I emailed the webmaster responsible for the page hijackings and he's taken down all listings to my pages. It's only been half a day, so Google won't show the changes yet -- and I don't know when they will.

I've also written Google and told them what has happened. Apparently the problem occurred by a series of incidents:

They had been hijacking my pages.
I had to switch domains.
Google spidered my new site and found that versions of my pages already existing on the hijacker's site.
Google thinks I have duplicate content.
Google penalizes me.

Is there any other action I can take? Not being indexed by google is killing my traffic.

[keyplyr]

If you haven't already, you may find these two threads helpful:

[webmasterworld.com...]

[webmasterworld.com...]

[webbyfro]

Wow. That's exaclty what's happened to me! Now that I've had the webmaster remove all trace of my site from him, I hope (I pray to the Gods) that Google will understand my plight and let me back in. If they don't, then I'm going to give up, because if they don't even bother responding to my pleas and listen to my story, then it's very obvious they just don't care.

But I hope they do! HEre's hoping...

[stu2]

They don't :( Nice to have your own personal thread on WW though :) You were lucky that the offending site was so cooperative. I'm a bit surprised it's only 1 site hijacking you. They usually come in droves. A salutory tale.