Copy Entire Website (the RIGHT way)

[bobvance2006]

Guys, this seems like a simple request of something that is MUCH needed for anyone trying to replicate a website and spin the content inside that site.

How do I copy a website then strip it of its footprints (image names, css classes/styles etc.)

I found this in another request on BHW, but this is exactly what I want to do:

1. rename images and update the CSS/html/php whit the new image names
2. rename <div class=(footprints) and update the CSS file whit new "prints"

I would imagine a lot of people would want to be able to take one site, copy it, then spin articles inside it and not have to worry about Google seeing it as duplicate. Is there any way to do this QUICKLY through some sort of batch script?


I've been looking for the past several hours and could not find anything that does this, and I am extremely surprised.

 

[auggie101]

maybe try to use CuteFTP or search about it..

 

[stickyskunk]

Download website copier and then edit the files yourself.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[GreyWolf]

maybe try to use CuteFTP or search about it..

Well cuteFTP isn't going to help him much unless he has ftp access to the site he wants to steal. I'm assuming that he wants to copy someone elses website to create one for himself.

@bobvance2006 -
if it is an html/css site then it's fairly easy, in ie you can copy the html files one by one just by going to each page and select save as, and then choose Website Complete for the format. It will save the html file and then create a folder with the same name and put all the images and css files into that folder. That should be sufficient if it is a small site. Once you have that just use it as a template and remake it into your own site. I'm not sure about Firefox, but I imagine it will be very similar, possibly even do a better job of it.

If there are just too many pages to be practical downloading each one then you can find free programs that will save an entire website. Most of them are shareware programs that will only dl so many pages or let you use it for so long, but that might be enough for you. Just search google for "save complete website" and you'll get plenty of relevant results. The top entry even addresses how to do the same thing in firefox.

If you want to get a php website it is not quite as easy. Most of the time you aren't actually seeing the php files. When you land on an index.php page the php file will create the html that is sent to your browser. If you try to save it, all yoiu will be saving is the html version that was created on the fly. In many instances this might be enough, I've saved pages like that and jsut used the html as a template. But if you need it to do the same as the php file, then you have a little more work to do. Do a search for "website copier" and you will find many relevant results. There are several programs that will even save php files. I wouldn't expect it to be able to handle something like a wordpress installation or a complete ecommerce site, but it should give you enough to do what your looking for.

Also search for "offline browser", that is technically what these programs are created for. They would ofcourse be appalled to imagine some using they're beautiful programs to steal someone else's website. LOL.

 

[robertodelgato]

I've had good luck using httrack to download the files and images from the original site, and then using a search-and-replace code/text editor to search for 'originaldomainname.com' and replace with 'myowndamndomain.com'. Same for old link/new link.

The resulting copy is so accurate that you can browse the copied site on your hard drive.

You can get httrack - surprise, surprise - at 'httrack dot com'.

 

[MLMGUROO]

Try this one:

Website Ripper Copier

 

[Choronzon]

I used to use Black Widow but switched to HTTrack. It will download a complete website but can't touch password protected areas. Brilliant program.

 

[netfish]

@Choronzon I concur, HTTtrack is the best on a Windows platform, IMHO, for anyone to use. Here's the link for it:

http://www.httrack.com

It will even allow you to browse it offline (duh).

 

[bobvance2006]

i appreciate the suggestions, but it looks like no one even read what i was asking....

downloading websites is easy, there are a million programs to do that.

what i need is a QUICK system for REMOVING THE FOOTPRINT from those downloaded websites.

So I need to quickly rename all images, rename all css and reformat the website so that it looks TO GOOGLE like a completely different site. I'll obviously take care of the text and the content, however, I think there has to be a better system out there than renaming every single image and doing a find and replace with the html files and running a find/replace on all the css tags to make the website look unique.

not to be mean, but if you don't understand (or haven't read) what i'm asking please just don't respond.

 

[bobvance2006]

I had an idea... has anyone tried downloading encoding an already existing html website and launching it encoded? I figure it will look to Google like a different website, but to the user like the same.

Would that work?

 

[Zeecho]

Ultimate tool: WinHTTrack Website Copier (and it's freeware!)

 

[thinkinghat]

Ultimate tool: WinHTTrack Website Copier (and it's freeware!)

from next time plz read the thread and then post.

to op,i dont know,but now i am also interested in answer.

 

[bobvance2006]

thinkinghat... i have a temporary solution that i found... probably shouldn't share it until i get to jr vip and can hide it from the public but i think its a pretty big loophole in google's algorithm. pm me if you're interested.

anyways, if anyone else out there has a way to do this i would be interested. my way is a complete workaround and i would imagine it is only going to work for a short while longer.

 

[khaoss]

If you are on linux, you can try with this :

wget -R url

 

[greyhatdude]

... I think there has to be a better system out there than renaming every single image and doing a find and replace with the html files and running a find/replace on all the css tags to make the website look unique.

not to be mean, but if you don't understand (or haven't read) what i'm asking please just don't respond.

@bobvance If you found a better way to do it than what robertodelgato suggested, please post it here. I just started cloning and re-spinning a site myself using httrack, open office, and MS Expression Studio but this is a massive project with hundreds of pages and images. I'm happy to have a site to start with, but the re-spun site is going to be so original that any automation of the process would be really appreciated.

 

[robertodelgato]

I've also had a lot of luck using a problem like simple-search-and-replace (google it) to change the name embedded in the site's code to whatever I wanted it to be.

You can specify all files in a folder for replacement, of a certain type (all php, for example) and it will roar through and replace THEIRCOMPANYNAME with YOURCOMPANYNAME.

It's not complete, but it goes a long way when you're editing dozens or hundreds of pages.

@bobvance If you found a better way to do it than what robertodelgato suggested, please post it here. I just started cloning and re-spinning a site myself using httrack, open office, and MS Expression Studio but this is a massive project with hundreds of pages and images. I'm happy to have a site to start with, but the re-spun site is going to be so original that any automation of the process would be really appreciated.

 

[Cheeky_Bastard]

I've had good luck using httrack to download the files and images from the original site, and then using a search-and-replace code/text editor to search for 'originaldomainname.com' and replace with 'myowndamndomain.com'. Same for old link/new link.

Any suggestions or downloads for an editor like this?

 

[jossbrown]

thinkinghat... i have a temporary solution that i found... probably shouldn't share it until i get to jr vip and can hide it from the public but i think its a pretty big loophole in google's algorithm. pm me if you're interested.

anyways, if anyone else out there has a way to do this i would be interested. my way is a complete workaround and i would imagine it is only going to work for a short while longer.

I'm looking for a solution to this problem too. I was wondering if the temporary solution that you found is still working. Was that loophole fixed yet?

 

[CodeMogul]

Bob, I just registered here. I was trying to send you a message but I need 15 posts to do so. If there are programs that can gather all the code and content from a site then there has to be a program that can gather content but then re-arrange / re-name all the content with name options and settings. So that if both sites are compared they do not look identical or even similar. Send me a message on what you have found. Let's team up to find a solution I'm getting closer to solving this.

Idea: How about hiding or locking the new site's code? What do you think?

 

[partymarty4870]

This may be the golden answer you're looking for....................

You don't really need to.

I've got multiple sites all ranking really well that have simply content, logo's, meta tags and background colours changed.

I made no changes to image names, css styles etc.

They are only really throwaway/feeder/aging sites for me, but the bug G seems to have no problems with them - remember they are going after duplicate content, not duplicate code.