Digital marketing specialists have probably heard of the term known as blackhat SEO. Blackhat SEO embraces a collection of strategies utilized to boost a website's or page's ranking in search engine results, but done in ways that violate the search engines' terms of service.
Essentially, blackhat SEO is a rapid route that could get your site to the forefront of search results quickly. However, these strategies are often seen as manipulative, and search engines like Google may severely penalize sites caught using them.
A popular blackhat technique is keyword stuffing. This means packing a webpage with keywords or numbers with the intent of manipulating a site's ranking in Google search results. They might come across in a list, group, out of context or in a hidden div.
Creating link farms is another common method. Here, webpages are connected together in a circular network to increase the rank of all the sites in website the circle. However, if a site is linked to from numerous unrelated websites, it may also be penalized.
Cloaking is an especially deceptive blackhat method. This is when different content is presented to search engines than to users, effectively redirecting users to different pages aside from their permission.
Despite the potential penalties, why do people use blackhat SEO? The evident answer is: for immediate results. These techniques give websites the pretense of authority, boosting them up the search results rapiidly.
However, the advantage is short-lived. Search engines now incorporate sophisticated algorithms that identify these fraudulent techniques. Once they're identified, penalties can include reduced rankings or even being erased entirely from the search index.
As a consequence, many websites are shifting to white hat SEO strategies. These are methods that aim to build a website's prominence in legitimate ways. Some methods are creating quality content that provides useful information to the reader, optimizing website tags, or creating a positive user interface.
So, while blackhat SEO may come across as a fast way to improve your site's visibility, it's a dangerous game to play. It's wiser to direct attention on whitehat SEO strategies, which improve your website through appropriate means, thereby providing long-term success.