Definition
Footprint Hunting is a method used in black hat SEO to find websites with specific characteristics (footprints) that make them exploitable for automated link placement. A footprint is a unique text string present in the source code or content of a type of site (e.g., 'Powered by WordPress' + 'Leave a comment'). By combining these footprints with advanced Google operators (inurl:, intitle:, intext:), practitioners quickly identify thousands of blogs, forums, wikis, or directories with open comments, registration forms, or editable pages. This technique is at the core of tools like ScrapeBox and GSA SER, which include preconfigured footprint lists. Google penalizes sites that obtain links through these automated methods and constantly improves its algorithms to ignore low-quality links.
Key Points
- Uses advanced search operators to identify exploitable targets
- Footprints are text strings specific to a CMS or page type
- Core technique of automated spam with ScrapeBox, GSA SER, Xrumer
- Google improves algorithms to devalue links obtained through these methods
Practical Examples
Classic WordPress footprint
A black hat uses the query 'inurl:/wp-comments-post.php site:.fr' to find French WordPress blogs accepting comments. They obtain thousands of results to feed into their spam tool.
Open forum footprint
The query 'inurl:register intitle:forum intext:"create an account"' identifies forums allowing free registration, potential targets for profile creation with links.
Editable wiki footprint
A user searches 'inurl:index.php?title= intitle:"edit this page"' to find open MediaWiki instances where they can insert links.
Frequently Asked Questions
A footprint is a text string or URL pattern that identifies a type of site, CMS, or page. For example, 'Powered by vBulletin' identifies vBulletin forums, and 'inurl:wp-login.php' identifies WordPress sites. These markers enable mass-targeting a specific platform type.
Yes. Google detects artificial link patterns from sites identified by footprints (same CMS, same page types, nofollow/ugc links). The Penguin algorithm is specifically designed to devalue these mass-obtained low-quality links.
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Last updated: 2026-02-07