Online visibility experts have probably heard of the expression known as blackhat SEO. Blackhat SEO involves a collection of strategies used to increase a website's or page's ranking in search engine results, but through methods that violate the search engines' terms of service.
Fundamentally, blackhat SEO is a shortcut that can get your site to the forefront of search results quickly. However, these tactics are usually seen as manipulative, and search engines like Google would seriously penalize sites found using them.
An infamous blackhat technique is excessive keyword usage. This means filling a webpage with keywords or numbers to manipulate a site's ranking in Google search results. They might come across in a list, group, out of context or in a hidden div.
Establishing link farms is another common method. Here, sites are tied together in a circular network to boost the rank of all the sites in the circle. However, if a website is linked to from many irrelevant sites, it may also be penalized.
Cloaking is an even riskier blackhat method. It refers to different content is presented to search engines than to users, essentially redirecting users to different pages aside from their knowledge.
Despite the potential penalties, why do people use blackhat SEO? The straightforward answer is: to achieve quick results. These techniques give websites the pretense of popularity, boosting them up the search results quickly.
However, the gain is temporary. Search engines now incorporate sophisticated algorithms that identify these manipulative techniques. Once they're identified, penalties could include decreased rankings or even being removed entirely from the search index.
As a consequence, many websites are embracing white hat SEO strategies. These are techniques that aim to build a website's prominence in legitimate ways. Some examples are creating meaningful content that provides helpful information to the reader, optimizing website tags, or creating a positive user experience.
So, while blackhat SEO click here may appear a rapid way to boost your site's visibility, it's a risky game to play. It's more advisable to direct attention on whitehat SEO techniques, that improve your website through appropriate means, thereby providing long-term success.