Wrong.
In the SEO world, black hat is a term used for unethical practices in an attempt to get your content higher on the SERP.
While it may seem like black hat practices are something every decent person would want to avoid, someone just getting into SEO may not know which practices to avoid.
Here’s what to avoid when starting your journey:
Keyword Stuffing – Overloading webpages with keywords
You may ask yourself, “Isn’t that what SEO is?”. Yes and no. Keyword stuffing takes the practice of utilizing keywords to the extreme. This is adding in unnecessary keywords to try and show up higher for searches unrelated to your content.
Imagine you search “ducks” and your SERP shows a link to shotguns. That page probably included tons of water-fowel keywords even though that’s not the primary content on the page. I’m willing to bet that you aren’t looking for a gun if you’re searching ducks.
Link Farming – Creating artificial networks of links
No this isn’t growing links on some hidden page like the name suggests. Link farming uses fake websites that create a network with your page to make it seem as if your website has more authority.
Hidden Texts or Links – Just what it sounds like
In the same way that some students may add white text at the end of an assignment to reach the word count minimum, some SEO analysts try to up their location on the SERP by throwing in a list of tons of keywords in the same color as the website background. Go ahead and highlight this next section and see why this tactic scams the system.
hidden text, blackhat SEO, white text, small text, white words, small white words, hidden small words, bad SEO. You see this isn’t comprehensive but you get the idea.
There’s a lot at stake for something you can do ethically for the same outcome.
Besides the obvious ethical issues, using black kat techniques can have real-world repercussions. These can range from a lower position in the SERP or being removed from it entirely. Some practices even infringe on copyright/ trademark issues which can land you in a pile of legal poop.
6 Responses
I think this is a very good summary of a very complex topic. Black Hat SEO is very easy to do, and can almost seem natural to do in certain settings, but it is NOT something that should be done. I like that Google has stopped rewarding this type of SEO in their page rankings. Search Engine Optimization is meant to do just that, Optimize for Search.
The explanation of black hat practices, including keyword stuffing, link farming, and hidden texts or links, is straightforward and easy to understand. By providing examples and illustrating the negative impact of these techniques on user experience and search engine rankings, the article effectively communicates why they should be avoided.
Moreover, the article wisely addresses the ethical implications of black hat SEO, stressing the importance of adhering to ethical standards in digital marketing. It rightly points out that engaging in such practices not only risks harming a website’s search engine visibility but also exposes the perpetrator to potential legal issues, such as copyright infringement or violation of consumer protection laws.
You made a lot of good points! Many people use black hat SEO to increase a site’s page rank in search engines but by doing this they are violating a lot of rules and doing so unethically. This can lead to a decrease in site rankings, as you said. Using black hat SEO does not benefit you or the user in the long run.
I like how you used your title to draw the reader into reading your post. Well done!
I like how easy this post is to read, with the many subtitles and simple language. Your explanations are simplified well and would be very helpful if someone wanted an easy explanation on this topic.
I like how organized this post is. It’s a good reminder of what to avoid and why, especially for beginners. I’ll keep this in mind when auditing my websites.