Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a critical component of any business’s digital marketing efforts. With millions of people around the world performing millions of search queries each day, every business has a vested interest in doing what they can to understand the various search engine algorithms, raise their website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs), and show up as a top result.
When it comes to SEO techniques, there are some good practices, often referred to as white hat SEO tactics. And there are some bad practices–aka black hat techniques[1].
In this article, we’ll take a look at some SEO basics, some common black hat SEO tactics[2] that can get you penalized, the consequences of those tactics, and how reputable SEO agencies follow search engine guidelines to actively avoid black hat techniques that result in negative SEO results.
What are black hat SEO techniques?
When you think of a black hat, you often think of a magician. And black hat SEO techniques are often presented as “magic.” The difference is that a magic trick is normally a harmless illusion, while black hat SEO practices can be detrimental to a business’s ranking in the long run, and they produce results that quickly vanish into thin air.
The most important thing to know about black hat SEO practices is that they will almost certainly result in penalties from major search engines, including hits to your site’s search engine rankings and all the way up to being delisted from a search engine.
Some of the more common (and worst) examples of black hat practices include:
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- Buying links. Paying for backlinks (including PBNs or private blog networks[3], link farms, and so on), is a violation of Google’s webmaster guidelines[4]. As such, there are steep penalties that come from questionable or paid links, which Google and others can almost always identify.
- Hidden links. Stashing links in the background of pages or blending them with the page is an old attempt at tricking the search engines, and it will certainly result in a penalty to your site’s ranking as well.
- Spamming the comment section. Throwing links to your site or products in the comment section of an external site might seem like a perfectly reasonable tactic, and sometimes (if relevant) it can be. But those are rare circumstances, and blog comment spam is the opposite of that. It’s more often low-quality comments or irrelevant links. Plus, most website visitors recognize spammy content when they see it.
- Keyword stuffing. This is when you develop content that only has the desired keyword included over and over again. But search engines look for quality of content, not just quantity, and they will rank your site or page accordingly.
- “False” pages. Acting as a bait-and-switch, some businesses will create a page that ranks specifically for a term or terms, but then redirects people to other sites or pages. You’ll sometimes see them referred to as doorway pages, sneaky redirects, gateway pages, or bridge pages.
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These are just a few of the more common examples, and there are several other black hat tactics (such as cloaking, duplicate content, hidden text, anchor text manipulation, etc.) that can and will result in a Google penalty or lower ranking on Bing and other search engines.
How can you avoid black hat SEO tactics?
The original principles that many of these black hat SEO tactics were built on are still relevant, but the techniques are used and abused by bad site builders and agencies looking for a quick buck. The best way to avoid the potential issues that come with black hat SEO strategies is to follow the recommendations that will result in improved organic traffic to your site and higher rankings without violating search engine guidelines.
For example, while link schemes and PBNs are a bad idea, providing relevant and useful links on your web page is great for your ranking and for the user experience. Similarly, guest posts on other websites and blogs are a useful way to connect with customers and strengthen brand identity … as long as you are not throwing plagiarized or irrelevant content all over like bots would.
What are the consequences of black hat SEO tactics?
As mentioned above, the consequences of engaging in black hat SEO practices[5] can be as simple as a lower page rank (the opposite of your goal), all the way up to getting delisted or removed from search engine results. While this is a worst-case scenario, it definitely does happen and is never worth the short-term gain you might have made.
In addition, there is significant potential for damage to your brand and your company reputation, both among prospective customers and even among industry peers. You risk losing credibility, and the negative user experience can send would-be customers over to someone else’s company instead, costing you leads and conversions.
Finally, there are even legal consequences that come with some black hat techniques, including copyright and trademark violations, anti-spam law violations, and more.
Why do some businesses still use black hat SEO tactics?
The short answer here is that, at least in the immediate or short term, some black hat SEO tactics do still work. After all, it can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks for a site to be crawled and indexed by Google or other search engine crawlers.
The same goes for any changes you make or pages you add. So some less-than-scrupulous SEO agencies or consultants may recommend them, implement them, and show you “test results” that prove they are working.
In reality, these questionable techniques are going to result in poor rankings and possible penalties once Bing, Google, or any other search engine gets around to indexing your site. Most black hat techniques are immediately identifiable to these organizations, and many of the actions they take are automated. So while it takes time for Google’s algorithms to notice, it doesn’t take very long at all for them to take action.
What are white hat SEO tactics?
The opposite of black hat SEO tactics is obviously white hat SEO[6]. These techniques focus on ethical SEO practices that respect and follow the rules of search engines without attempting to manipulate the results.
The best way to begin with white hat SEO is to review Google Search Essentials and keep up to date on Google updates.
Most common types of white hat SEO
A few great examples of white hat SEO tactics include:
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- High-quality, relevant content. White hat SEO results in useful, informational, and high-quality content for sites, blogs, and other digital properties. The best examples of content marketing fall under the category of white hat SEO. This is because they’re designed not only to improve SEO rankings, but also to communicate relevant information.
- Different content. Copying and pasting (or worse yet, plagiarizing) is a great example of black hat SEO. Instead, creating unique content, and in multiple formats, will result in improved search rankings.
- Improved functionality. Well-labeled images, descriptive alt text, and other website components are key areas for white hat SEO. Google and others consider the whole site, including how accessible it is for users of different abilities. So making your site more accessible is not only beneficial for customers, but beneficial to your search ranking as well.
- Genuine link building. Guest posting on trusted sites and through legitimate partner organizations is a helpful link-building strategy that will also have a positive impact on your SEO campaign.
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Key differences between white hat and black hat SEO
We covered some of the key differences above, but the basic differences between the two are:
[themify_icon icon=”ti-thumb-up” link=”http://”]White hat SEO adheres to the guidelines and recommendations of search engines.
[themify_icon icon=”ti-thumb-down” link=”http://”]Black hat SEO uses tactics designed to trick algorithms or disregard some search engine rules.
[themify_icon icon=”ti-thumb-up” link=”http://”]White hat SEO practices aim to genuinely make websites better.
[themify_icon icon=”ti-thumb-down” link=”http://”]Black hat SEO tactics aim only to improve ranking and often make sites less user-friendly.
[themify_icon icon=”ti-thumb-up” link=”http://”]White hat SEO content is designed first to be informative and relevant.
[themify_icon icon=”ti-thumb-down” link=”http://”]Black hat SEO content is structured only to manipulate search engine algorithms and rankings.
There are other differences, of course, but this list covers the basic contrast between the two methods.
Benefits and challenges of white hat SEO
While white hat SEO practices are certainly worth pursuing, there are a few challenges.
First, it obviously takes more time and effort to create white hat SEO content and implement it on a site. Because you’re developing relevant and informational content, it takes time to gather what you need and build it in a way that also helps you achieve improved search engine rankings.
Second, it takes time to see results. This is one of the biggest challenges for some small business owners, because in the fast-twitch digital marketing age, we all want to see results immediately. But given the amount of time it takes for sites to be crawled and indexed, proper SEO practices don’t deliver results overnight.
However, white hat SEO techniques are certain to provide you with better results in the long run, and more sustainable results as well. Plus, the content you develop is much more “sticky,” meaning that it has applications and uses that go beyond simply improving your search engine ranking.
Are there any gray areas between white hat and black hat SEO?
There is another area that you will sometimes hear marketers and SEO experts refer to as “gray hat SEO.” As you probably guessed, this is a blend of techniques or tactics from both sides of the SEO line, and it lives in a “gray area” between the two.
While search engines such as Google are pretty clear in their guidelines, there is always some room for interpretation. Additionally, some of what can be considered black hat techniques might be overextensions of white hat SEO (commenting versus spamming, keyword cramming versus reasonable keyword density, etc.).
Ultimately these gray areas won’t get your site penalized, at least not immediately. And some of the techniques may even fall into a different category in the future depending on the way search and search engines change and adapt. In truth, then, “gray hat SEO” isn’t bad, but it also tries to dance between the two definitions and perhaps get away with things in order to impact search engine ranking.
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint
While a social media ad might have an almost immediate impact on conversions or leads, SEO is always going to take time. But one way to get closer to your goals in a shorter time frame is to find an SEO agency or team of experts that you can collaborate with.
Teaming up with a reputable, highly reviewed SEO firm that specializes in white hat SEO techniques is a surefire way to develop a plan of action that is built for continual improvement. Not only can SEO agencies help you right now, but partnering with them for the long haul can help your business improve your search engine ranking and maintain it. And this is a key step in building for future growth and performance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Sources
- An Introduction to Black Hat SEO, HubSpot
- What Is Black Hat SEO? 9 Risky Techniques To Avoid, Semrush
- PBNs: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask, Search Engine Journal
- Google Search Essentials, Google
- 6 Risky Black Hat SEO Tactics to Avoid (And Their White Hat Alternatives), Ahrefs
- White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO: The 2 Sides of SEO Strategy, Shopify