WHITE HAT VERSES BLACK HAT SEO

The Difference Between "White Hat" and "Black Hat" SEO

Simply put, it's about RISK. When it comes to SEO techniques there are both "white hat" and "black hat" tactics. A common question among consumers seeking SEO services is simply: What's the difference? SEO services have been revolving around these two "types" of techniques, but the question still remains for many as to which is the "right way" to perform SEO services or which will work best for a businesses strategy.

First and foremost, whenever performing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) you'll want to ensure that you do things which are within Google’s webmaster guidelines. Yahoo and Bing search engines have their own rules and these do matter as well, but for the most part, Google’s webmaster guidelines are the "holy grail" if you will, of all webmaster rules to follow. This is because Google will equate to the highest percentage of traffic you'll see from a search engine in almost any scenario. These guidelines provided by Google can be fairly vague and/or complicated at times, but for the most part, they're common sense.

Generally speaking, the more aggressive you are when doing SEO, the more risk you'll take on towards the potential of getting your site penalized. Conservative SEO’s usually stick with what they know best and what feels right - "white hat SEO". White hat SEO's or "White Hats" tend to produce results that last for long periods of time. This is because they are less risky when it comes to search engine optimization and link building so they are less likely to be impacted by frequent algorithmic updates. Over time many learn that it is better to take a long-term approach to SEO.

The ultimate goal of SEO shouldn't be just to rank high, but to maintain high rankings and traffic growth over time. In order to do that, you are required to assess the risk of everything you do. If you don’t understand some of the risks of specific strategies you adopt and use a singularly focused SEO strategy, you'll see wild fluctuating rankings and the risk of losing a significant portion of traffic. Although taking big risks have the potential to reap huge rewards, those rewards are often temporary. The more balanced your SEO strategy the more stable your rankings will become. Black hats are willing to take that risk and anticipate their sites will get penalized eventually, but don’t care because they can simply register new domain names and start all over again.

If you care about the longevity of your online business, your domain name and/or your client(s), you should care about practicing “white hat” search engine optimization that is within Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. For the most part it’s common sense and if your focus is quality and providing value you generally have nothing to worry about. Clients simply can't afford risk, so Black Hat should never be used by an SEO Company.

What makes someone a black hat more specifically? If they’re trying to deceive people by cloaking web pages, hijacking web sites, using hidden text, littering the web with low quality pages or harming a competitor to outrank them in the search results, many call that “black hat” SEO because it's employed without regard to others. Again, Black hat has no regard for user experience; the only concern is making money.

These are the general differences between “white hat” and “black hat” SEO, and why White Hat tactics fit better into the ultimate strategy for search engine optimization and marketing your web site online.

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