26 Jun 09 SEO SIMPLIFIED: Black Hat SEO

Written by: bikram

Now, as you are thinking about SEO, you must have started looking for information related to search engine optimization on the Internet, and the chances are quite fair that you bumped into something called Black Hat SEO. And there is also a possibility that you got fascinated by the quick result it claims to offer, but through this and other two articles let me warn you, on the onset, against the perils of using such unethical techniques to artificially boost the search engine ranking.

If you get caught, your website will be banned by all the major search engines. As it is Black Hat SEO tactics provide a short-term solution for the long-term problem, which is to build an exceptional user experience into your website in order to get repeat visits and loyal user base. One more thing, practicing Black Hat SEO will not win you many friends; rather it will push you to dark and dingy corner. Now, the question is what is Black Hat SEO and how to know, if I am using a White Hat SEO (acceptable form of SEO) or the Black Hat one? Let’s examine that. An SEO practice is called Black Hat SEO in the following situations:

1. When the SEO technique used Breaks the policy and optimization guidelines set by search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.
2. When an SEO professional uses an unethical technique of cloaking selective content behind the background to hide it from the eyes of users, but keeping it visible to the search engine spiders.
3. Creating a poor user experience by excessive use of any SEO technique also gets categorized under Black Hat SEO heading.

In the next article, we will talk about the techniques that are considered as out-and-out Black Hat by the SEO community at large. In the article following that we will talk about what different school of SEO thoughts has to say about Black Hat SEO technique, and what according to them is Black Hat and what it is not?

Tags: Black Hat, Dingy Corner, Engine Optimization, google, Loyal User, Major Search Engines, Perils, Search Engine Spiders, SEO, Term Solution, Unethical Techniques, User Experience, yahoo