In the world of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), there are standard techniques widely used by SEO experts: White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO. The SEO world is divided on this matter with some insisting that one is better than the other.
Many SEO experts frown upon the use of black hat techniques and profess that white hat is the way to go. Although white hat techniques may take time to reap you the top spot, they produce more valuable and consistent results especially in the long term. So what is this back hat SEO some are saying is the best answer to get the #1 spot on SERPs?
For companies who are just starting to include web design, web development and SEO in their marketing efforts, this is something that must be understood.
What is Black Hat SEO?
Search Engines like Google made a set of guidelines to help webmasters create and design their site to become more readable to both users and search engines, and as a result rank on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Through their algorithms they can spot who sticks to the guidelines and who don’t. They’ve also crafted a list of techniques that need to be avoided in attempting to up a site’s rankings. This list of things to NOT do is what makes up black hat SEO. Some examples of these are keyword stuffing, article spinning, link farming and link buying, cloaking and using doorway pages.
What black hat SEOs do is they try to work around the rules Search Engines have set up in order to get the top rank on SERPs. Instead of creating valuable content for their audience, they manipulate certain things just to rank. The sole reason for their websites’ existence is to get the top spot on SERPs without providing any value to the users.
What do You Get from It?
Fast results is the best thing a business can get from black hat SEO techniques. Some methods are proven to be effective and the results are brought to you at a faster pace compared to white hat techniques. So in a matter of days, you have the top spot on SERPs, get more visits to your website and garner lots of customers.
What are the Risks Involved?
While fellow SEO experts will just frown upon people who use black hat SEO, the search engines definitely do more than that. Search Engines try to promote a content-rich and user-beneficial atmosphere on the web. Black hat SEO goes against all these. Most of the websites that don’t use white hat techniques and only use black hat don’t provide real value to the users.
So when search engine watchdogs find out about your website and the shady techniques that were used to get you to the top of SERPs, there are certain consequences to this. Especially now with the frequent algorithm updates done by search engines, like Google’s Penguin and Panda updates, it has become easier for them to catch the culprits. Depending on the gravity of the offense, these happen next:
- Decreased rankings
- Page or site penalised
- Site banned
- Site delisted from search engines
Black hat SEO techniques give you short-term results. Because soon enough search engines will find out about your questionable techniques and the website will suffer the consequences. So what you’ll need to do next is repair the damage done and start back from scratch. If you’re a company who’s trying to build a brand online, any of these consequences will really hurt. It’ll also be difficult, not to mention costly, to start back from zero.
In choosing between black hat and white hat, you’ll have to choose between instant top results and consistent top results. You can’t have both. You’ll also need to determine what your goal is in implementing SEO into your business’ marketing campaign. Is it to: (1) get short-term results fast, or (2) build a strong and long-term online presence for your business?
Now that you know the important details about black hat SEO, it’s time to ask yourself: Is the temporary gain you get from it worth all the risk? It’s important to establish this first before you search for a good SEO company to help your business. Or if you’ve started doing SEO for your company, it might be good to ask the experts you’ve hired what they’re really doing. If they use black hat SEO, is it really something you want your business to be involved in? Black hat SEO may not be the solution you need if you want to effectively build your brand online.
By Debra Wright
Marketing specialist Debra Wright enjoys learning new things both online and offline. Her love for discovery encompasses varied subjects from the mundane to the riveting, including topics like SEO. When she is not in front of her computer or behind the wheel for a road trip, she is busy with her oven trying to master her baking skills. Follow her on twitter @debrawrites
