Black Hat SEO Techniques you need to avoid
Background and Definitions
Black hat and white hat are terms derived from Western movie
convention where the good guy would wear a white hat that contrasted with the
bad guy's black hat. However, there are instances where this doesn't apply,
such as Paladin in Have Gun - Will Travel.
The terms have been adapted to describe SEO techniques
approved by the search engines' terms of service (TOS) and those that violate
them.
Black hat SEO techniques, encapsulated by spamdexing, entail
manipulating how search engines perceive the relevance of a Web page in a way
that is often inconsistent with the search engines' guidelines. Hidden text,
cloaking, and blog comment spam are examples of black hat SEO.
White hat SEO techniques involve providing users with
quality content that is accurate, relevant, and well-organized. Using relevant
keywords in the title tag, h1 tag, and anchor text of inbound and internal
links are examples of white hat SEO.
What white and black hat SEO have in common is the desire to
improve website visibility; where they differ is how they go about it.
Black hat SEO has a negative reputation, and rightly so:
It's a shady set of deceptive practices that degrade the user experience and
are adopted mostly to make a quick buck. To keep a business legitimate and
afloat on the Web, avoid black hat SEO techniques and embrace white hat SEO
techniques.
17 Black Hat SEO Techniques to Avoid (and 17 White Hat SEO Techniques to Utilize)
1. Unrelated Keywords
Don't: Add irrelevant keywords to the copy for extra page
hits.
Example: "Kanye West would use our Dyson vacuum
cleaners if he owned cats."
Do: Keep the content focused on a specific topic so users
find what they are searching for.
Example: "Our Dyson vacuum cleaners effectively suck up
dust, dirt, and pet hair."
2. Keyword Stacking and Keyword Stuffing
Don't: Repeat keywords to the extent that it reads like
gibberish in a sentence or image alt text.
Example: "Picture frames picture frames pictures
pictures pictures."
Do: Write sentences that make sense, have a reasonable
keyword density, and that use semantically related words instead of endlessly
repeating keywords.
Example: "Our photo framing services can accommodate
large formats to ensure everyone gets the big picture."
3. Tiny Text, Hidden Text, and Hidden Links
Don't: Put illegible text at the bottom of the page, make
the text the same color as the background, or format text or images that are
visually undetectable as links.
Example: "This is a short sentence full of illegible
gray text."
Do: Write content that is intended to be read, contrast the
text with the background color, and make links obvious.
Example: "The Canon G10 camera has both the features of
professional cameras and the convenience of portable point-and-shoots."
4. Cloaking
Don't: Present search engines with one set of content and
site visitors with another, tricking visitors from search engines into
experiencing a page of substantially different content.
Example: A user searches for "happy octopus",
clicks on a search result that appears to be about sea creature psychology, and
is greeted with pornography.
Do: Be honest and create Web pages that visitors want and
expect to see based on the description on the search engine results page
(SERP).
Example: A user searches for "Hello Kitty" and is
taken to the official website of the franchise.
5. Doorway Pages or Gateway Pages
Don't: Haphazardly stuff pages with keyword phrases with the
primary goal of achieving a high ranking and then automatically redirect
visitors to a separate page.
Example: A page, filled with keyword phrases but little
coherent content, that uses JavaScript or a meta refresh tag to redirect
visitors to a separate and potentially unrelated page.
Do: Create landing pages and information pages for humans
that are rich in content.
Example: A sugar manufacturer detailing the advantages of
raw sugar over high fructose corn syrup.
6. Bait-and-Switch or Page Swapping
Don't: Get a Web page indexed and ranked and then change the
page entirely.
Example: Clicking on a result in the SERP takes the user to
a page that is completely different from the keywords used for searching and
the description provided in the SERP.
Do: Update Web pages regularly while keeping the overall
topics of the pages intact.
Example: An article about The PIrate Bay, a torrent site, is
updated with news related to the trial, verdict, and media response.
7. Duplicate Content or Mirror Site
Don't: Copy a substantial amount of content from another
website, with or without permission.
Example: A website reprints an authoritative article found
elsewhere to increase the number of visitors.
Do: Quote in small chunks, cite sources, and write original
content.
Example: An article about the sound quality in various
models of headphones cites reviews of headphones found on other sites.
8. Spam Blogs or Splogs
Don't: Blog using software that generates garbled text with
keyword phrases for the sole purpose of getting visitors to click on ads.
Example: "Caffeinating the Mountain Dew with MSG is a
summer treat safer than Guinness." Do: Put time into your blog posts to
write something coherent, novel, and fresh.
Example: "Caffeine is drug that is safe to consume in
moderation, but consistently large doses over time may cause anxiety and sleep
disorders."
9. Blog Spam or Comment Spam
Don't: Automatically post links as comments on blogs to
increase the number of inbound links.
Example: "Great post! |3uy ch34p v14gr4 w1th fr33
5h199ing."
Do: Post insightful and constructive comments related to the
article or blog post.
Example: "Thanks for explaining Kafka's 'The
Metamorphosis' in such detail. Have you thought about comparing it to
Cronenberg's 1986 remake of 'The Fly'?"
10. Trackback Spam
Don't: Abuse trackbacks with links to unrelated links on
blogs.
Example: "[…] randomized keyword phrases related
keyword more random keywords […]"
Do: Let blog authors know about posts being referenced from
legitimate sources.
Example: "[…] read a blog post on Moleskine notebooks
that brought up the […]"
11. Spam Ping or Sping or PIngback Spam
Don't: Notify ping servers of new content several times per
minute to give the illusion that content is new.
Example: Software that automates the process of notifying
various ping servers of supposedly new content.
Do: Set up blogging software to ping centralized services
once when a blog post is published.
Example: Populate the "Update Services" box in
WordPress settings to notify pingback services of new blog entries.
12. Referrer Spam
Don't: Advertise a website by making repeated requests using
a fake referrer URL to websites that publicize referrer statistics.
Example: Scripts that automatically follow links on
illegitimate sites can land spam websites in publicized referrer logs.
Do: Link to content that is relevant and allow readers to
follow the links naturally.
Example: "Ask MetaFilter is a valuable resource for
finding free answers to questions that are challenging to find on the
Web."
13. Link Farms
Don't: Seek links from or link to sites with unrelated or
low quality content in an attempt to improve visibility in the SERPs.
Example: A long list of unrelated links and with supporting
content can be found at pagehole.com.
Do: Link to and request links from relevant and high quality
websites where a connection between the two websites is logical and beneficial
for site visitors.
Example: It is reasonable to ask a blogger who links to
Durham, NC pizzerias to link to your page reviewing vegetarian pizzerias in
Durham.
14. Cybersquatting or Domain Squatting
Don't: Register a domain with a trademarked word in the name
with the intent to profit off of the association.
Example: juliaroberts.com was originally registered by
Russell Boyd. It was later handed over
to Julia Roberts after it was determined in court that Boyd "registered
and used the domain name in bad faith".
Do: Brainstorm and research relevant keywords for an
easy-to-remember domain name relevant to the content the website will host.
Example: aboutcandybarwrappers.com sells personalized candy
bar wrappers.
15. Typosquatting or URL Hijacking
Don't: Register a domain name that is a misspelled version
of a popular website or a competitor in an attempt to mislead visitors.
Example: whitehouse.com may confuse users who intend to
visit whitehouse.gov.
Do: Make a website that becomes popular for its richness in
content.
Example: Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and countless
other websites made names for themselves instead of relying on popular keyword
phrases or misspellings.
16. Social Networking Spam
Don't: Target demographics on social networking sites and
message people with advertisements.
Example: "Visit example.com to see pics of me and my
friends ;)."
Do: Network, find people with similar interests, and
exchange contact information when there is mutual interest.
Example: "Hello Frank, we met at the Web Design Meetup
last week. I like what you had to say about accessibility and usability. What
was that site you mentioned that had the list of usability studies?"
17. Cookie Stuffing or Cookie Dropping
Don't: Stealthily place affiliate cookies on computers.
Example: A spammer inserts a URL to a fake image on a
message board that puts affiliate cookies on the computers of forum visitors.
Do: Link to retail websites with affiliate links to earn a
percentage of sales.
Example: "You can support this blog by following my
affiliate links to Amazon."
Conclusion
This list covers the popular forms of black hat SEO, but all
shady techniques should be avoided. If ethics alone aren't a deterrent:
Performing black hat SEO can lead to a damaged reputation, getting websites
banned from search engines, and even lawsuits for copyright infringement.
There are plenty of ways to legitimately improve website
visibility in the SERPs. It may take time for a Web page or website to become
popular, but it's a process that has a better chance of surviving in the
long-term. Remember that the goal is to provide a service to visitors. Once you
do that, with white hat SEO, the rest will follow.
For your next Internet Marketing Seminar, I am here and always available at your service. I am going to showcase you the right techniques and strategies to take advantage of the Search Engine Ranking Positions for your website on the most ethical manner.
Prof. Erwin M. Globio, MSIT
Internet Marketing Specialist/SEO Expert
EglobioTraining.com
Mobile Numbers: 09393741359 / 09323956678
