The Top Black Hat SEO Techniques to Avoid

When it comes to SEO or Search Engine Optimization, there are loads of different tactics you can use to get to the top of Google. Some of these tactics are looked on favorably by Google. Others are banned completely. Using banned SEO methods to rank is more commonly known as “black hat SEO.” For those who are not yet too familiar with SEO, black hat SEO techniques refer to the unethical methods of SEO that enable higher ranking. The results can be incredibly good. But they are often short-lived. That’s because Google forbids the use of certain techniques and will penalize any website it catches implementing them. Where as white hat SEO (the kind approved of by Google) focuses on improving the experience of the user to improve rankings, the aim of blackhat SEO is solely to rank highly. These tactics to not focus on enriching the experience of the audience. People who want results fast tend to resort to black hat SEO. However, using black hat SEO is very risky. Aside from receiving penalties from Google, the website may also get banned from search engines completely…

Here are the top blackhat SEO techniques that you should avoid:

1.    Cloaking

In this technique, the content that is shown to search engine bots is different from that shown to the users. One way that people do this technique is through the use of descriptions, titles, and keywords that are completely different from what the real content is talking about. Once a search engine has determined that a website is cloaking, there is a big possibility that the site will be banned.

2.    Keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing refers to the technique wherein a web page is loaded with keywords so that the search engine will see the page as something relevant to a particular search.  A somewhat irrelevant technique even included webmasters from writing keywords in the same font color as the background of the website so that users never saw the keywords. The search engines still picked them up, however. Search engines have got a lot better at detecting keyword stuffing and will give your page a low-quality score if they detect it. This technique can harm the ranking of your site as well as lead to poor user experience.

3.    Article spinning

Content is king when it comes to SEO. But only relevant and useful content is. Unfortunately, many website owners use article spinning software to churn out hundreds of very similar pages of content in a bid to rank highly. It doesn’t matter how article spinning is done – it always lowers the original article’s quality. 

4.    Doorway Pages

These are simple HTML pages that are customized to only show for particular search engines. They are not actual pages that a user can find by browsing a website, however. They only appear to search engines in an effort to add hyper relevance to keywords. The smarter search engine bots get, the more these pages are getting ignored or banned.

5.    Link Farms

Link farms are made of different websites that connect with each other through hyperlinks. The purpose of this is to increase their rankings. Your site won’t really get traffic from these links, but the search engine will be tricked into thinking that a lot of other sites link to your site. Theoretically, this gives your website more respect in the eyes of search engines. Although not link farms are being actively targeted and banned by Google and Bing.

While the above black hat SEO techniques may help improve your site’s ranking for a day or two, there’s a huge possibility of being penalized once a search engine finds out that these methods are being used. It’s best to avoid these practices because their potential benefits are not worth the risk at all. If you want to ethically improve your rankings, we’re here to help. Call today to book a free consultation.