How to Manipulate Your Users

Weird.
You clicked on this article.
You shouldn’t try to manipulate people with your content. My headline is an exception of course.
Let me introduce you to some of the ways users are manipulated, and what tactics you should avoid as a trustworthy, ethical business when trying to improve SEO.

In This Blog:

• What is Black Hat SEO?
• What is White Hat SEO?
• Which Hat Do You Wear?

What is Black Hat SEO?

Black Hat SEO is an unethical way of manipulating and violating search engine guidelines to rank a website. Black Hat SEO is like a poor team player that cheats in order to win.
In the end, Black Hat SEO can make you rank well… until you’re reported and revealed as a fraud. Then, you’ll lose credibility, traction, and your audience.

Let’s break down the 9 different types of Black Hat SEO tactics you should avoid.

9 Black Hat Tactics to Avoid:

1. Keyword Stuffing: Including a keyword unnaturally across a page.
2. Duplicate Content: Reusing identical or very similar content across multiple pages
3. Hidden Text: Stuffing keywords in hidden text (ex/ hiding it behind an image, setting it as the same color as the background)
4. Doorway/Gateway Pages: Creating a page intended only to act as a funnel to another page
5. Cloaking: Displaying different content to search engines than what is actually displayed to users.
6. Paid/Manipulated Links: Acquiring links in ways that aren’t earned but rather paid or gained through spam.
7. Misused Structured Data: Marking up content with false or misleading structured data to manipulate how it appears in search results
8. Misleading Redirects: Sending users to a different page than expected or unrelated to what they clicked on
9. Negative SEO: Attempting to harm a competitor’s rankings through spammy backlinks or duplicated content

What is White Hat SEO?

White Hat SEO is characterized by ethical, search-engine approved methods used to improve a website’s visibility. A business that prioritizes quality, people-first content and genuine optimization is a business that wears a white hat.

Which Hat Do You Wear?

If you’re new to SEO, you have the opportunity to start right by avoiding black hat SEO tactics. In the end, it’s up to you to decide how you improve your SEO. I hope this article convinces you to choose an ethical and principled approach.