Black Hat SEO consists of a set of unethical tactics that are used to increase a webpage’s ranking on the search engine results page (SERP). Black Hat SEO will ultimately get you into trouble with Google. So, the best thing you can do is avoid them. But what are Black Hat SEO practices? I have compiled a list of a few of the most common forms of Black Hat SEO.
- Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is filling your content with unnecessary keywords in an attempt to rank higher on the SERP. Use keywords naturally, not excessively.
- Sneaky redirects
A redirect sends someone to a different URL than the one they clicked on initially. Make sure that your links are clear, and take the person exactly where they expect to go.
- Hidden text
Hidden text is set at the same color as the background, or something very close to it, in order to make it appear to spiders as though there are more keywords or content than is actually visible to viewers.
- Link farms
A link farm is a website or group of websites created for link building. Having too many links on a page is a red flag to Google that your site is suspicious. Do not do this.
- Duplicating content
This consists of creating duplicate copies of content. Do not try this — keep your webpage authentic and only post one copy of your content.
There may be a few other Black Hat SEO practices not mentioned here. These are just a few examples of what Black Hat SEO looks like. Black Hat SEO may be tempting to use because it is quick and easy, but in the long run it is not sustainable and you will pay the consequences for it when Google finds out. It is not worth it, so do not try it. Now that you know what Black Hat SEO is, you can be sure to avoid it and follow best practices when optimizing your website.
Sources:
Notes from Digital Marketing with Dr. Kocur
2 Responses
I liked what you had to say in the blog. I also had Dr. Kocur’s Digital Marketing and remember him talking about this. How often do you think googles spiders come across this? Also would you say that there are people who get caught in unintentional black-hat SEO?
I think it is so important to know the best practices as well as the “worst practices” when it comes to choosing keywords and placing them on your site. It is good to have a layout of exactly what to avoid and these 5 are a great place to start! I like what you said about just putting the work in to create a legitimate site, rather than pay for making shortcuts later.