Download Page Protection - Is It This Simple

[mikeyman120]

Hello Warriors,
I just got a resell rights product and it came with a download page and I noticed this code on it:

<META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">

Does this keep your download page from ending up in the search engines. I am guessing now that if you don't use code like this people may be able to find your download page listed on google.

Does anyone know if this code is essential for download pages.

Mike

[Asher]

Hi Mike,

Yes, that's definitely required to keep your download page
from ending up in the search engines. It tells the search
engine bots to basically "ignore" the page and not include
it in the search engines.

Of course, this is pretty basic but it's pretty sufficient for
most of your download pages.

Asher

[Pete223]

Hi Mike,

Even though these solutions will never replace a product like DLGuard or
even E-Junkie, also make it harder for thieves to guess your download file name...
make sure to name it something very unique and not just productname.zip

Kindest Regards,
Pete

[Dan Grossman]

Hiding from Google and randomizing the file name doesn't stop someone from buying the file with a stolen credit card, then posting the link to your download page on a warez forum for hundreds of people to download free before you know it.

[Pete223]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

Hiding from Google and randomizing the file name doesn't stop someone from buying the file with a stolen credit card, then posting the link to your download page on a warez forum for hundreds of people to download free before you know it.

So true Dan, unfortunately, nothing can stop that!

So I guess every little piece of protection one can add
is better then nothing!

Cheers, Pete

[ChristianM]

Don't forget that some search engines don't pay attention to those meta tags, so whilst it might work in google, it won't in others.

[Dan Grossman]

Originally Posted by Pete223

So true Dan, unfortunately, nothing can stop that!

Not having a download page sitting out in the open can stop it. That's why software for that kind of thing works, though I don't use any of it so can't recommend which to use.

The download URL for every purchase on my sites is unique to that buyer, every download (and the IP address of the person downloading) is logged, and each link can be disabled separately if it turns out to be fraud or is shared.

[Asher]

Another way is to set your download pages as a password
protected area. That way, search engines can't index it
easily as well. I think there are some tutorials on YouTube
about how to do it.

Asher

[dave147]

good to keep the spiders away > <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">

and I would recommend DLguard for excellent protection

[Rezbi]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

The download URL for every purchase on my sites is unique to that buyer, every download (and the IP address of the person downloading) is logged, and each link can be disabled separately if it turns out to be fraud or is shared.

Dan,

How do you do that?

I did get some software but found they can be pretty useless.

In the end I gave up and figure if I'm going to lose a few sales then so be it.

I don't know what anyone else thinks but if I find a download page showing up in google I tend to email the owner and let them.

[TheNightOwl]

This is so not a solution for protecting your download pages, dude. Heck, it'd be nice if it were that simple!

Even at the most basic level, not all robots respect the "robots" metatag. And especially not the bad ones.

As suggested already, go get DLGuard, or EasyClickGuard, or if you're totally broke and don't have more than 5 downloads to protect, you can nab a "Lite" version of SmartDD for free. It's fully functional, but limits protection to 5 items.

Hope that helps!

TheNightOwl

[mikeyman120]

Thanks for the info people I am checking out the DL Guard and the easyCLickGuard they look cool.

Mike

[Trader54]

If your worried about product theft this will be your problem and not whether you protect your download page or not.

My eBook is on torrent sites...and I was using DLGuard! What Now????

[Pete223]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

Not having a download page sitting out in the open can stop it. That's why software for that kind of thing works, though I don't use any of it so can't recommend which to use.

The download URL for every purchase on my sites is unique to that buyer, every download (and the IP address of the person downloading) is logged, and each link can be disabled separately if it turns out to be fraud or is shared.

That doesn't stop someone from buying, downloading and re-uploading somewhere else
to pass it around!

Happens every day!

Cheers, Pete

[Dan C. Rinnert]

Originally Posted by Pete223

That doesn't stop someone from buying, downloading and re-uploading somewhere else
to pass it around!

Which is also a good reason to have some affiliate links in your digital products so that if it does get passed around like that, you still may have the chance at getting some money out of it.

[Poglia]

This is mandatory, but you also need a PHP (or other language) script to protect your page so you can view it only if you have paid. If you need help just let me know.

[Dan Grossman]

Originally Posted by Pete223

That doesn't stop someone from buying, downloading and re-uploading somewhere else
to pass it around!

That's what DRM and the DMCA are for.

[Rich Mann]

I have spent a fair amount of time investigating various inexpensive methods of protecting digital assets. I've never used the paid asset protection options, but many swear by DLGuard.

I came across a site named www.Ardamis.com that has posted free source code for using PHP and mySQL database for this vary thing. I have used it and it works great. There's a post called "Protecting a download using a unique URL" that explains how to install and use the script.

The original code was developed to only protect one file at a time but there's a new post updating the older single file protection code to allow multiple file protections. Here's the links to both. Single Fileand the Multiple File protection.

Many thanks to Oliver Baty for his generosity.

Hope this helps some of you.

Rich Mann

PS. I also use the Meta Tag <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW"> to hide directories as well as pages from being indexed but this doesn't work with all Search Engines.

[affirm758]

if you want to protect your download page get dlguard.com - don't try to reinvent the wheel go with what works. Sam is the owner and is very responsive. btw I never endorse products so i wouldn't be posting this if i were not 100% satisfied.

[Pete223]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

That's what DRM and the DMCA are for.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but very few Black hat forums and warez sites
take these very seriously!

I'm pretty sure that someone that looks around enough can find pretty much
any product they want from an illegal source.

Cheers, Pete

[Dan Grossman]

I have not found a black hat forum or warez site that actually hosts any files. Their owners want their DMCA protection too, so that they don't get sued. They just link to Rapidshare, Megaupload and the likes, and all those sites DO take down files on DMCA complaints.

I've written and sent over 100 DMCA notices of infringement so far this year. Every single one resulted in the file being taken down.

[Pete223]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

I have not found a black hat forum or warez site that actually hosts any files. Their owners want their DMCA protection too, so that they don't get sued. They just link to Rapidshare, Megaupload and the likes, and all those sites DO take down files on DMCA complaints.

You are absolutely right, they are not hosted there... I was just pointing out that that's
some of the places where they are sharing the files from, not necessarily being
hosted there.

I've written and sent over 100 DMCA notices of infringement so far this year. Every single one resulted in the file being taken down.

Which pretty much proves the point that no matter what "security" you put in place,
those that want to steel your work, will!

Cheers, Pete

[Odhinn]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

I have not found a black hat forum or warez site that actually hosts any files. Their owners want their DMCA protection too, so that they don't get sued. They just link to Rapidshare, Megaupload and the likes, and all those sites DO take down files on DMCA complaints.

I've written and sent over 100 DMCA notices of infringement so far this year. Every single one resulted in the file being taken down.

...After how many people have downloaded them?

I don't mean to be a problem, but here's the thing - if people want your products, they'll get them. There are lots of people who know about a certain search engine that doesn't abide by those particular metatags, and will allow people to find your DL pages.
They can contact other buyers and ask them to share - sometimes under the guise of someone hunting down other people illegally sharing other files. If it's not that, they can buy, and then ask politely for a refund, or contact paypal and make a stink there. They'll get their money back in the end.

Whether it's rapidshare, or torrents, or even something totally old-school, like email lists, your products are probably all out there circulating the internet. Think you've got security built-in? There are legions of people out there who are cracking software programs, and if you're trying that new "White knight" program I see people using, what stops them from using legit information to open the PDF, and then copy/pasting to Word and redistributing?

DL Guard might hide your download page, but how worthwhile is that - the places people are getting your downloads are not from your download page - they're from file hosting websites, where DL Guard can't help you. And yeah, you can get the files removed - but in my experience, it takes at least a day, and in the mean time, dozens of people can grab your stuff. And if they know where to get it, what stops them from sharing and sharing again?

I thin the bottom line is that you just have to live with it. Most of those who know how to find these websites are not your customers anyways. How much time do you waste tracking down these files anyways? Couldn't you find something more productive to do?

Again, I don't want this to sound like I'm being problematic - I still make and sell my own products. I still make a living with it. And hundreds of people who have never bought my stuff have the files sitting on their desktop right now. It happens, and you weren't going to make money there anyways. So why bother?

[Dan Grossman]

It's no bother, 100 over 6 months is just a few a week. I just monitor a few places that actually show up in search results and send a quick takedown notice when it's reposted (all I have to do is change the URL of the file and the date on the email template). So that people that search for the product find the product site and not an illegal copy. The intent isn't to stop the people that are actively looking for illegal copies, that's impossible.

I don't bother with encryption, DRM or licensing servers. That stuff only encumbers the paying customers without putting up any real barrier to the pirates, so as you said, why bother.

There is middle ground between completely ignoring piracy and trying to completely control it.

[athibaul]

Whether you wish to protect your eBook or only the link to download it, and if don't want to bother with technical stuff, you might take a look at Secure-eBook.

Since I don't want my post to look too much like an ad, I will let you take a look at it and make your own opinion .

[Pete223]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

There is middle ground between completely ignoring piracy and trying to completely control it.

I absolutely agree!

Cheers, Pete

[Robert T Jillie]

Using the <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW"> in each download may keep them from being indexed but….

If your products are being shared by legitimate customers i.e. people that have purchased you products and then choose to post your product on the web so anyone can access it then you should be using something like DL guard.

[Steve Diamond]

Originally Posted by Robert T Jillie

If your products are being shared by legitimate customers i.e. people that have purchased you products and then choose to post your product on the web so anyone can access it then you should be using something like DL guard.

Sorry, Robert, but you've either misspoken or missed the point of what DLGuard does. DLGuard makes sure that only paying customers can download your files, but it does nothing to keep those customers from sharing once they have obtained your product legitimately.

Steve

[Daniel Brock]

You guys have all hit on a question I have been having for awhile. Here is a more serious question - what happens if someone takes YOUR product and sells it as their own? I know you can send your notices and all - but if your notices fall upon def ears you are just wasting your time. You can have your lawyer send some BS notices over mail, but I am sure people who do this type of stuff know what to expect. Any notices probably get thrown away before they are even read.

So what do you do to stop these kind of people?

[CPA]

Hey Mike,

Here's how I found an interesting way of hiding your download page. You might already know about this but heck...

Let's pretend that google.com is our site.

What I'd do to hide the files is create a .html file containing all the download links and stuff first.

After that I'd create a directory that is hard to guess. Like for example N24124NSFASFBOUI8124 (some random letters). Inside that directory I'd upload that .html file but also name it something like getdw444.html. After that's done I'd make sure to add the random directory (N24124NSFASFBOUI8124) to my robots.txt file so that google does not index it. And last thing I'd do is make sure the directory is not accessable for example if someone visits google.com/N24124NSFASFBOUI812 they won't see that list of files you got there, what you'll need to do is simply create a blank index.html file and upload it to google.com/N24124NSFASFBOUI812. Once you do that you'll prevent the N24124NSFASFBOUI8124 directory from being indexed along with your download page at google.com/N24124NSFASFBOUI8124/getdw444.html

You can also upload your files inside the google.com/N24124NSFASFBOUI8124 directory for example like google.com/N24124NSFASFBOUI8124/videos

All the best,
Mark

[igorhelpsyousucceed]

Hey Mikey,

yeah, it does.
It is a php code for your robot.txt which is
responsible for allowing (and blocking) the access
for the SE crawlers.

Igor

[4by8air]

This code will not protect you from having somebody post the URL of the download page somewhere else. Once it is out there, it will be indexed.

The best way I know to protect a download page is using DLGuard. I have been using it for about a year now and it works very good. I recommend it.

[bonafide70]

great stuff in this thread, something to think about

also throw this into the mix, I haven't used it but it looks pretty good to me, intergrates with your autoresponder and a load of other features for what looks like a one off $47

Dragon Download Protector

[Rich Mann]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

There is middle ground between completely ignoring piracy and trying to completely control it.

I agree with Dan. You have little to no control over your product once it reaches the paying customer. Implementing DRM or other restrictive measures that impact the end user is expensive and requires a full time IT staff to field the resulting issues.

At the end of the day, you can wrap your download location in as much protection as you are willing to pay for but once the product is out there in the hands of the customer just let it go.

You can drive yourself nuts with trying to control the distribution or you can focus on your next product. If your products are so great that people want to steal them. Then you're doing something right and the word will spread and you will make sales.

Rich

[Odhinn]

Originally Posted by dbbrock1

You guys have all hit on a question I have been having for awhile. Here is a more serious question - what happens if someone takes YOUR product and sells it as their own? I know you can send your notices and all - but if your notices fall upon def ears you are just wasting your time. You can have your lawyer send some BS notices over mail, but I am sure people who do this type of stuff know what to expect. Any notices probably get thrown away before they are even read.

So what do you do to stop these kind of people?

I've found that a good over-reaction type of threat, even if I don't back it up, does wonders. People drop those products quickly. You can use Whois to get their name and email, or you can contact their webhost (find a 404 page, and the host will usually be revealed).

[googmagic]

hey..
where can i find this pluggin guys ?

[patlondon]

Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert

Which is also a good reason to have some affiliate links in your digital products so that if it does get passed around like that, you still may have the chance at getting some money out of it.

Exactly!

[patlondon]

Wondering if anyone here has had any weird happenings with Ejunkie. I had a couple friends test the download link to a templates package and although they could unzip the file alright, they couldn't view the actual images correctly until I sent them the original zip file from the package designer.
Now unless I really had a brainfart and managed to zip the file wrong in the first place...how the heck could this happen..
It's driving me nuts now and maybe in the end I'll try one of the programs mentioned here....
Still really curious if it could be on Ejunkie's end...

[johnwho]

Originally Posted by mikeyman120

Hello Warriors,
I just got a resell rights product and it came with a download page and I noticed this code on it:

<META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">

Does this keep your download page from ending up in the search engines. I am guessing now that if you don't use code like this people may be able to find your download page listed on google.

Does anyone know if this code is essential for download pages.

Mike

where can I put this? <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">

do I need to create another file I will just insert this on a page that I want to protect..

[sparting]

Hey mike..

use Htaccess to protect your download page....

Visit=> htaccesstools.com

Good luck...

[AndyBlackSEO]

What I done to protect my latest download page AND download url where the actual zip file is located, is wrote a small bit of php which generated a random code which is stored in a database. When the customer then clicks on their download link in their email it takes them to a verification script that checks their code against the database. If valid it removes the code from the database and re-directs them to the file which allows them to download their product without being able to see or trace the files location.

It works a treat!

[xeeds]

Originally Posted by Rich Mann

I have spent a fair amount of time investigating various inexpensive methods of protecting digital assets. . . . .

Hope this helps some of you.

Rich Mann

PS. I also use the Meta Tag <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW"> to hide directories as well as pages from being indexed but this doesn't work with all Search Engines.

Thanks Rich,
That's just what I needed to stop my tires spinning and get the bus moving!

Ed

[samstephens]

Hi guys,

I'm Sam Stephens, the owner/developer of DLGuard.

There is a lot of information floating around about download security (not all of it accurate), and so I'd like to make a few notes to clarify some of it:


1) Meta tags: these can be used to stop pages from being added into search engines. Most search engines obey these, but not all. These don't protect your donwload page from being shared, they just help to stop search engines from adding it to their lists.


2) Robots.txt files: These shouldn't ever be used to "hide" download pages from search engines. Remember that humans can view them too, so all you're doing is telling thieves where to find your stuff.

If you're going to use a robots.txt file, you can use it to protect a higher level folder, and then put your download files in a subfolder of that folder, randomly named.


3) Change Download URLs: Some people recommend just changing the download URL every week. Depending on how many sales you're making, to keep things secure you'll actually need to do this every hour at least. Even every hour, if someone shares your download link, how many people can steal your product in an hour?

Honestly, you've got more important things to do with your business than having to constantly update download links, and download pages, and then deal with your existing customers who want to come back and download again at a later date. That's time better spent creating a new product, and promoting your existing ones.


4) Sharing of files after they're downloaded: this happens, especially with PDF files. There isn't much you can do about it without restricting valid users (such as by using an Ebook wrapper, for example). There are wrappers out there that work well, but you need to decide if it's the right path for your particular business, and your particular customers.

Software is much easier to protect - I highly recommend using a "phone home" kind of system that logs individual installations. A good programmer can make one that is very unobtrusive.


5) Download management software: This is the best way to go, and I'm not just saying this because I sell DLGuard, I'm saying it because it simply makes sense. A good download management script will not just give you download security so people can't share download links, or find download pages in search engines, but it'll also make your customer's purchase experience EASIER and SMOOTHER. It'll also save you time setting up new products, or making changes to existing products. It'll also allow you to manage your business more effectively.

So check out all the features of the download managment software you're looking at, and make sure they suit your business well.

Also consider your business growth - will the solution you're choosing today grow with you, or will you need to replace it again in the future as your business grows?



I hope this helps - if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask - I'm happy to help!

cheers
Sam

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by Odhinn

I thin the bottom line is that you just have to live with it. Most of those who know how to find these websites are not your customers anyways. How much time do you waste tracking down these files anyways? Couldn't you find something more productive to do?

I agree 100%. People are going to steal your product, it's a cost of doing business. The idea is to slow down as many as you can without spending too much time on it. Don't make your product "low hanging fruit" that's easy to get, but don't spend hours and thousands of dollars to prevent it either. Find a happy balance.

That being said, google "robots.txt" this is another precaution to keep your pages from getting spidered.

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

There is middle ground between completely ignoring piracy and trying to completely control it.

Operative word being "trying" - you can't completely control it. You can drive yourself crazy trying, or you can make a balanced and reasonable assessment of how much it really costs you when people pirate your stuff.

To date, no matter what I've put up for sale - whether it's software, a report, or a video - I have seen absolutely zero difference in hits, conversions, or sales when a pirated version hits the net. When I happen across something of mine on a warez site, I check the upload date.

Then I go back to my stats and see what happened to them after that. It's always, and I do mean always, not a damn thing. It doesn't even make a noticeable blip. Which means my assessment is, and always has been, that the impact of piracy on my sales is zero.

Your assessment might be different. You mentioned once that you put about 5% of your overall effort into fighting piracy, and I find that sensible. But I think when you start getting much over 10% effort, it's time to get some damn numbers and make sure you're actually accomplishing something.

[samstephens]

I agree, you shouldn't spend your time worrying about piracy, or you'll never sell anything.

It makes just as much sense as preventing it as often as possible, where you can, as long as you don't become obsessed.

What a lot of people don't realise, though, is that by using a good download management system, not only are you adding protection, but you end up saving time.

For example, it's MUCH faster to create a Clickbank or Paypal product in DLGuard than it is to do it without it.

If using a download management system also saves you time and makes your life easier, then why not?

cheers
Sam

[listauto]

Originally Posted by Asher

Hi Mike,

Yes, that's definitely required to keep your download page
from ending up in the search engines. It tells the search
engine bots to basically "ignore" the page and not include
it in the search engines.

Of course, this is pretty basic but it's pretty sufficient for
most of your download pages.

Asher

Yes! I am too! It tells the search
engine bots to basically "ignore" the page and not include
it in the search engines.

[mph]

For download page protection purposes, I have a PHP script that sends me an e-mail every single time that page is accessed. The subject line notifies me that someone just entered the download page.

In the body of the e-mail I have the IP address, the referring link (to make sure they're coming from the payment processing page), and a few other details that may come in handy.

AND when the link to my download page was shared on a forum, I got an avalanche of such e-mails. So I instantly knew there was something wrong. In less than half an hour I managed to change the URL of the page and leave the thieves without anything to steal

It's not bulletproof, but it serves me well.

PM me if you want the script - it's about 10 lines long .

[Robert T Jillie]

Originally Posted by Steve Diamond

Sorry, Robert, but you've either misspoken or missed the point of what DLGuard does. DLGuard makes sure that only paying customers can download your files, but it does nothing to keep those customers from sharing once they have obtained your product legitimately.

Steve

What I mean is that you can protect your download pages from illegitimate downloads with DLGuard or something similar because it gives you Secure single product sales.

If you want to protect your products from being shared by your customers after they have made a legitimate purchase then you need an IP tracking product protection like Digital Lock Down or something similar.

[twitterguru]

Use 3d secure - that helps stop some of the fraud I believe.