Episode Details

E1093: Fake DMCA takedowns are becoming one of the scariest forms of negative SEO in Google Search.

I break down how fraudulent copyright complaints are being used to remove legitimate pages from Google, why original publishers are getting hit, and why the counter-notice process can still leave your content out of search results for days, weeks, or even months.

Search Engine Roundtable, Press Gazette, Search Engine Land, Moz, and others have all covered or experienced versions of this problem. Google has even sued over weaponized DMCA abuse before, but the issue still appears to be growing.

I cover:
- How fake DMCA takedowns can remove real pages from Google Search
- Why this has become a serious negative SEO problem
- What happens when someone copies your content, files a DMCA claim, and gets your original page removed
- Why Google Search Console may not show every DMCA issue affecting your site
- How multiple DMCA complaints can compound and keep URLs out of Google for longer
- Why publishers, affiliates, and commercial sites are especially vulnerable
- The Search Engine Roundtable coverage from Barry Schwartz
- Charles Floate's warning about DMCA negative SEO
- Why launches are especially exposed to this kind of attack
- What to do if you receive a DMCA removal notice from Google
- Why you should file a counter-notice quickly
- Why this problem may eventually lead to lawsuits, regulatory pressure, or forced changes at Google

The scary part is that this can hit right when a page is ranking, right when a site is making money, or right when a launch is happening.

If your business depends on Google Search traffic, you need to know how this works.

And thank you to Gagan Ghotra for sharing the Search Engine Roundtable article with me.

⭐️ Fraudulent DMCA Takedowns Wreak Havoc In Google Search - https://www.seroundtable.com/fake-dmca-takedowns-google-search-41596.html 
⭐️ Pedro Dias - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7472951071397732353/ 
⭐️ Charles Floate - An Engineer Told Me Google KNOWS About This... But Said They Can't Stop It!!! - https://x.com/Charles_SEO/status/2055067488124354605 

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 

00:00 DMCA Takedown Crisis
00:36 How Google Got Here
01:34 Lawsuits and AI Scams
02:53 Press Gazette Example
04:13 Real World Damage
04:55 Negative SEO Playbook
06:11 Google Knows But Won't Fix
07:10 What Happens Next
07:52 What To Do Now
08:32 Sign Off

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ 

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