Google Suggests Ways To Prevent Hacking

Feb 20, 2009 at 1:01pm ET by Matt McGee

If you run a popular/successful blog, there’s a pretty good chance you’re plenty familiar with hacking and how to deal with it. But hacking comes in many forms and can hit any kind of web site that isn’t secure.

In a post today, Google’s Webmaster Central blog talks about ways to prevent hacking, including using Google search to find out if you’ve been hacked. The site: command can help identify if a hacker has added common spam content to your site when you do a search like

site:searchengineland.com viagra

Most webmasters are probably familiar with and use the site: command often. But Google also suggests something many probably aren’t doing, i.e., using Google Alerts to monitor spammy words and phrases:

“In order to constantly keep an eye on the presence of suspicious keywords on your website, you could also use Google Alerts to monitor queries like:

site:example.com viagra OR casino OR porn OR ringtones

You will receive an email alert whenever these keywords are found in the content of your site.”

Finally, Google suggests using Webmaster Tools to help prevent and identify hacking, too. The “Top Search Queries” panel may show if any pages on your site are ranking for unrelated, spammy words or phrases. And Webmaster Tools is also where you’ll want to submit a reconsideration request if you were hacked and removed from Google’s index.

Matt McGee is the Search Engine Land Assignment Editor, and offers search marketing consulting and training to businesses of all sizes. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and HyperlocalBlogger.com.

See more articles by Matt McGee >

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