Black Hat SEO: Risky Tactics, Consequences and Safe Alternatives
Which methods are considered black hat SEO, why they are risky and which sustainable alternatives make more sense.
The strongest effect usually arises when the topic is not only theoretically understood, but directly checked on real URLs, page types and search intentions.
Which methods are considered black hat SEO, why they are risky and which sustainable alternatives make more sense. This wiki page arranges the topic practically and shows, When priority arises, which mistakes are often and how you derive concrete measures from them.
Example: Evaluate a purchased link package
A provider promises hundreds of new links with identical keyword anchor text within a few days. Let us show you real placements, labeling and selection of linking pages. A screenshot of increased visibility does not prove what caused it or whether the effect remains.
What matters is the procedure behind the offer. Automatically distributed links for the manipulation of rankings are to be classified differently than editorial reporting or transparently labeled advertising. Don’t plan revenue based on a promised short-term ranking win.
Where does the term “Black Hat SEO” come from?
He is borrowed from the classic Western movies, in which the good cowboy wears a white hat, while the bad guy is recognizable by his black hat. This already indicates that this optimization variant uses really unauthorized methods. This is not without risk, because the search engine algorithms recognize such attempts in most cases automatically and penalize the page under certain circumstances (so-called "search engines").Penalty“), which can mean a down ranking behind the 60th place of organic search results and, in the worst case, a ban from the index.
Optimizers who use such methods (see below) are usually in a hurry. But search engine optimization is usually a lengthy process that requires patience, but also brings sustainable results. Anyone who has once made it to the top places at Google & Co. can usually hold this rank well if he does not let up with the optimization efforts.
What methods does black hat SEO use?
Here is an overview of methods of search engine optimization that are not allowed from the point of view of search engine operators:
- Doorway Pages: The user does not see these “bridge pages”, but they point to the pages to be promoted with relevant keywords. Since they rely on these backlinks, the search engine is tricked into thinking that many users are interested in the main page and voluntarily link to it because it is so interesting. The backlinks should improve the ranking. However, Google recognizes this tactic relatively quickly.
- Cloaking: This is the creation of pages that contain hardly any content, but a lot of backlinks that lead to the main page. The content, if it exists, can be relatively meaningless. This too is a clear attempt at manipulation. The method was very common in the early 2000s and was quickly recognized by search engine operators. Meanwhile, the black hat optimizers have refined their methods: They create similar websites with almost the same URLs, one of which is visible to the users, the other to the robots. The latter should be deceived, but this only succeeds more or less.
- Backlink purchases: There are still companies that sell backlinks and thus an unnatural Link building generate. However, Google wants backlinks to be created naturally because other users find a page so interesting that they voluntarily link to it. The purchase of links is therefore also prohibited.
- Keyword stuffing: This method overloads a page with keywords. The search engine recognizes this very quickly as a dubious optimization method. We always recommend a keyword density of up to ~3%. More keywords bring nothing but a worst case Penalty.
- Hidden content: This is hidden content (for example, black font on black background), which in turn is overloaded with keywords and backlinks, but is not noticed by the user.
Conclusion
Optimizers should keep their white vest on or put on the white hat. Google and the other search engines can no longer be fooled.