Scraped rewrites are pieces of text taken from another source, changed just enough to look new, and then indexed by AI search as if they were original.
01What it is and how it works
A scraper visits a reputable page, copies large blocks of copy, and then runs the text through a paraphrasing tool or manually tweaks a few words. The resulting article is published on a different domain. AI‑driven search engines crawl the new page, extract the rewritten passage, and may rank it alongside the original source because the changes are not enough to trigger duplicate‑content filters. The process exploits the fact that many AI models treat each URL as an independent source of truth, even when the underlying content is almost identical.
It is copied text that has been slightly changed and appears as original in AI search.
02What to do about it
• Set up alerts in your brand‑monitoring dashboard to flag new pages that contain more than 70 % similarity to your owned content. • Add a robust rel=canonical tag on the original page so crawlers know which version is authoritative. • File DMCA takedown requests with the hosting provider of the infringing site. • Publish a public statement on your site linking to the original article and explaining the infringement, which can help search engines demote the copy. • Use structured data (Article schema) with a sameAs property pointing to the original URL; this gives search engines an explicit signal of ownership.
03How it is measured or noticed
Our product assigns a scraped‑rewrite score based on three signals: (1) textual similarity measured by shingling, (2) the presence of a canonical tag pointing elsewhere, and (3) the domain reputation score. When the score exceeds a preset threshold, the entry appears in the “Scraped Rewrites” tab of the dashboard. You can also spot rewrites manually by copying a snippet from an AI search result and pasting it into a plagiarism checker, or by comparing the snippet’s source URL with your known content inventory.
04Common mistakes
- Assuming any similarity means infringement without checking the canonical tag.
- Relying solely on DMCA notices and ignoring technical signals like
rel=canonical. - Removing the original page instead of defending it, which can hurt your SEO.
- Treating a paraphrased article as original content for link‑building purposes.
05Limits
The term does not cover fully original content that merely discusses the same topic, nor does it apply to user‑generated comments that happen to repeat a brand slogan. It is also distinct from legitimate translations, which are expected to differ in language but retain meaning. If a page uses a proper citation and attributes the source, it will not be flagged as a scraped rewrite even if the wording is close.
06Worked example
"Original: Our AI‑powered analytics platform reduces reporting time by 40 %.
Rewritten: The analytics tool we built cuts reporting effort by almost half."
The rewritten sentence appears on a competitor’s blog, is indexed by an AI search model, and shows up in the top five results for the brand’s product name.
07Frequently asked questions
How do scraped rewrites differ from legitimate paraphrasing of my brand content?
They are not original; they copy large blocks of your text and only change a few words, while legitimate paraphrasing creates new expression while preserving meaning.
Should I automatically remove any page that scores high on the scraped‑rewrite metric?
No, you should first investigate the source, verify any copyright issues, and assess whether the page is actually harming your brand before taking removal action.
Who typically creates scraped rewrites and how are they generated?
They are usually produced by automated scrapers that pull content from reputable sites and run it through AI paraphrasing tools or make minimal manual tweaks.
Does the scraped‑rewrite score still work for content that has been heavily edited after copying?
Usually, the score can still flag it if the underlying similarity remains above the threshold, because the algorithm looks at shingling patterns that survive moderate edits.
What are the consequences if I ignore high‑scoring scraped rewrites?
Ignoring them can dilute your brand’s voice, cause SEO confusion, and may lead to duplicate‑content penalties in AI search results, which you’ll notice as reduced visibility.
How long does it take for a scraped rewrite to appear in AI search after the page is published?
Typically a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the crawler frequency; you can monitor the alert dashboard in the meantime.
08Asked out loud
The same term in the words somebody uses speaking to an assistant rather than typing into a box — written from the situation, which is why each one carries the situation it came from.
Usually it's a scraped rewrite – someone copied your text and made only minor changes before publishing it.
It is typically a scraped rewrite, created by a scraper that pulls your content and runs it through a quick paraphrasing tool.
Yes, that's likely a scraped rewrite, which can hurt your brand consistency and SEO if not addressed.