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Chrome has a fairly new "lookalike URL" or "typo squatting" detection feature. The aim is to warn users if they are accidentally going to the wrong URL.

We own two sites (made up version below):

  1. ourcompanyinc.example
  2. ourcompany-inc.example

For whatever reason, the URL without the hyphen is our main web URL, and the URL with the hyphen is used for some other things.

Unfortunately when users go to the non-hyphen version, they are warned that it may be a malicious site, and they should go to the one with the hyphen. We own both of them. Does anyone know how we can let Chrome know that they are not lookalikes, so we can avoid this warning? The warning verbiage is below:

Did you mean ourcompany-inc.example?

Attackers sometimes mimic sites by making hard-to-see changes to the web address.

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  • Could you merge the content on the two domains onto one domain to prevent confusion?
    – Stephen Ostermiller ♦
    Jan 21, 2021 at 14:49
  • It's possible, but it would be a significant project. I don't like the idea of adjusting our domain structure as a reaction to Google's features, as that would be a moving target. We also wouldn't be guaranteed that the 1 domain we pick would be seen by google as the primary (non "malicious") domain.
    – BRass
    Jan 21, 2021 at 15:11
  • Making Google happy is a moving target, but unfortunately webmasters often don't have any choice but to try to do so.
    – Stephen Ostermiller ♦
    Jan 21, 2021 at 15:32
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    Are both domains verified under the same owner in GSC? If not then that would be the #1 thing to try. ("and the URL with the hyphen is used for some other things" - hhmmm, that is a bit confusing.)
    – MrWhite
    Jan 21, 2021 at 17:28
  • For clarity, by "other things" I mean it has other (non-primary) websites as subdomains on the URL with the hyphen. We don't have a GSC setup for the hyphen domain yet - I'll give that a try!
    – BRass
    Jan 22, 2021 at 13:43

1 Answer 1

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Chrome is mistakenly flagging your domain without a hyphen as deceptive, despite your ownership and use of both versions. This issue can potentially harm your website's reputation and user trust. To address this problem, you should:

Contact Google Safe Browsing: Reach out to Google Safe Browsing to report the false positive and request a review of your domain.

Check Domain Configuration: Ensure your domain's DNS and SSL configurations are correctly set up for both versions (with and without a hyphen).

Implement Security Measures: Enhance your website's security measures, including regular malware scans and ensuring your site doesn't contain any malicious content.

Monitor for Updates: Keep an eye on Chrome updates, as false positives can sometimes be resolved through browser updates.

By taking these steps, you can work to resolve the issue and prevent further mislabeling of your website by Chrome.

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