Data aggregation is a serious threat to any site, but classified ad sites can feel its effects most significantly, as they’re filled with tons of personal and proprietary information about customers and clients – content that, if stolen or duplicated elsewhere, could cause a bring problem for the business. For this reason, classifieds sites need to work to stop data aggregation at every turn; otherwise it could threaten their customers, their sales and their business as a whole.
Why should you stop data aggregation? Here are just a few reasons:
- To protect your customers, first and foremost. Classified ads often contain a lot of personal information about customers – their email address, phone number, address, etc. You don’t want this data showing up on another site, where your customers could be taken advantage of or hassled. Few things upset a customer more than endless phone calls or emails from buyers who aren’t really interested or aren’t even in the right geographic area.
- To protect your content. Your site needs to be a one-stop solution for customers wanting to advertise or market their goods and services. If they can get exposure on other sites for free, why should they pay you for it? Because of this, you need to stop data aggregation, and ensure your ads and content aren’t leaked elsewhere. It’s also important to remember that search engines penalize sites for duplicate content. So if your copy shows up on another site, your rankings could drop, costing you exposure and sales.
- To protect your brand. Finally, you need to stop data aggregation to protect your brand. If customers find out your content or their information is being used on sites without authorization, it could tarnish your brand name and turn them off to you forever. Your business’ reputation is at stake, so do your best to protect it!
Want to stop data aggregation on your classified site? Then contact Distil Networks today. Our bot detection and prevention tools can help.
About the Author
Courtney Brady is the Director of Marketing at Distil Networks. She comes to Distil Networks from a variety of start-up companies, routed in SaaS and DaaS solutions. Formerly the global communications manager at multiple companies, Courtney is responsible for developing the company’s marketing strategy and branding campaign.
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