Forum Moderators: open
Choice of keywords is hard to miss. If they've got it one way, if I put something up as soon as I turn around they've changed theirs to what I've got. In titles, links, <h1> <h2>, rewriting text - you name it. Whatever can be "seen" enough to be emulated. Including page layouts which the person NEVER does like that, their sites ALL use the same FP layout template - except one in particular that they deliberately fashioned after one of mine - page placement, keywords and all - which were all different when they started - and all changed right after I put a site up - and continues as pages are added. It's continuous for months now.
Two problems - it's someone I work "with" on a couple of sites. Some "stuff" off the mutual client site was swiped and put on a site of a close competitor of the "mutual" client site. Another site now in progress, if the designer gets another client in that market, well - it's this site that will be the model for the gentleman's competitor.
There's the "older" client who's stuck in the middle - not really sure how to handle that, I let them know more than once.
It's gotten to where I'm highly uncomfortable putting *anything* up on some sites to "give" to them if they've got or could have in those markets. Maybe the mutual client doesn't get wigged out about it, but I do - SEO is not like slapping a couple of photos and a bit of text on a template page.
It's unlikely to be legally actionable which I wouldn't do, but how to approach? The client knows, but has a good deal going (aka cheap) so is willing to put up with it. I am not, what I do takes too much and has too much value to give away involuntarily.
Do I drop the "in-between" person as a client and hardball the designer big time, double or triple the client's rates for "education" of this third party, or raise the roof in a nasty email? Maximum restraint is being maintained, I really *could* write a nasty email. ;)
Do I look the other way and let it continue? Googlebomb all their sites? Find guestbooks to sign with their URL? Plant hidden links in obscure places?
How does something like this that is CONSTANT get a stop put to it without turning into a wild woman? I'm almost too mad to think. Any ideas how to handle this while staying reasonably civilized at the same time?
I regularly check who is interested in my content (I won't go into details on how I do it) and bookmark the pages of potential thieves.
It's almost a waiting game when you have great content, that eventually it's going to happen. Fortunately I haven't had to go beyond sending a letter with an overt threat to someone who requested the use of my content. I've got my eyes on that person...
Then I find things on sites "other" than the one we both work on as what's supposed to be a "team" arrangement, some of which are direct competitors - swiping my work to compete directly against.
I'm seriously considering the possibility of dropping this client. I don't do that lightly but I'm not sure the arrangement can continue to go on. I've just found more.
