The Value of Product Descriptions
Good product descriptions are more than words:
- SEO investment: Keyword-optimized content
- Conversion copy: Language that sells
- Brand voice: Unique tone and style
- Research time: Understanding customer needs
- A/B tested: Refined through experimentation
When competitors copy your descriptions, they steal all this value.
How Descriptions Get Stolen
Simple Copy-Paste
Select text, Ctrl+C, paste into their store. Takes seconds.
View Source
Right-click, view page source, copy the HTML content.
Scraping Tools
Automated tools that extract all text from your catalog.
Manual Transcription
For protected content, some will simply retype it.
Who Copies Product Descriptions?
Lazy Competitors
Rather than writing original copy, they take yours.
Clone Sites
Fake stores need matching descriptions to appear legitimate.
Dropshippers
Some use supplier descriptions verbatim from supplier sites.
Content Aggregators
Sites that compile product information from multiple sources.
Impact of Description Theft
Duplicate Content SEO Issues
When your descriptions appear elsewhere:
- Search engines may not know which is original
- Your rankings can suffer
- The thief might outrank you for your own content
Lost Competitive Advantage
Your carefully crafted messaging becomes generic.
Brand Voice Dilution
Your unique voice appears on random sites.
Conversion Loss
If another site has your copy, why wouldn’t customers buy there?
How SecurEcommerce Protects Text
Selection Disable
Users cannot select text on protected pages.
Copy Shortcut Blocking
Ctrl+C, Cmd+C, and other copy shortcuts are disabled.
Context Menu Prevention
Right-click context menu (with copy option) is disabled.
Print Prevention
Ctrl+P and browser print functions are blocked.
Limitations of Text Protection
View Source Still Works (Partially)
We can’t completely hide HTML, but we make extraction harder.
Determined Copiers
Someone can always retype content manually.
Screen Readers
Protection may affect accessibility tools.
Complementary Strategies
Unique Brand Voice
Develop a voice so distinctive that copied content looks out of place.
Regular Content Updates
Keep descriptions fresh so copies become outdated.
Legal Protections
Copyright notices and terms of use establish ownership.
Plagiarism Monitoring
Tools like Copyscape find copies of your content.
DMCA Enforcement
File takedown notices when you find copied content.
Best Practices
Write for Protection
- Include brand-specific phrases
- Reference your brand name naturally
- Use unique terminology
Monitor for Theft
- Regular searches for your product names + key phrases
- Set up Google Alerts for unique passages
- Use plagiarism detection services
Document Ownership
- Timestamps on original publication
- Internal records of content creation
- Copyright registration for important content
Enabling Description Protection
In SecurEcommerce:
- Enable content protection features
- Text selection and copy blocking activate
- Test on protected pages
- Monitor for user experience issues
Balancing Protection and UX
Consider that some copying is legitimate:
- Customers copying product names to search
- Sharing product links with friends
- Accessibility needs
You might protect only product descriptions while leaving navigation and basics accessible.