Black Hat SEO: The dark side of Digital Marketing and the worst mistake you could ever make.

Marketing lovers may know the answer to this question but, for beginners, and it’s a pleasure to expand their knowledge. Today we will detail important information about Black Hat SEO. Are you ready?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s a technique used to high position a website on Google’s search results.

You understand, right? Very good!

What is Black Hat SEO then?

You may or may not know, but we are here to help you learn everything there’s to know about the Marketing World.

We call Black Hat SEO; the web positioning techniques that seek to achieve fast results by avoiding Google standards. They base this deception on confusing the search engine to move up the ranking results.

Even though Black Hat SEO can get some immediate results, in the long run, it’s never worth it. Once the search engine discovers any attempt to cheat its algorithm, the penalties are very serious. For this reason, when implementing Black Hat SEO, the opposite desired effect is the only thing achieved. Surely that’s not the idea, right?

Likewise, Black Hat SEO has another problem, which is that it doesn’t have any tolerance towards end-users. And while it may be effective in the short term, it usually ends up being detrimental to a company’s marketing objectives.

For this reason, we always recommend following the ethical standards of SEO or White Hat SEO, step by step. That way, you will be able to build a solid foundation on which to base your campaigns.

Black Hat SEO characteristics

Some characteristics of the Black Hat SEO technique are:

1. They defy the norms and rules proposed by search engines
2. They interrupt user navigation due to the techniques used.
3. Messy pages with inconsistent texts.
4. Possibility of malware on the website to which they implemented this technique.

You will ask yourself, what is malware? What is Black Hat SEO?

Malware means malicious software.

It’s a malicious program or software that performs harmful actions on a computer system intentionally and without the user’s knowledge.

What do you think? Amazing, right?

Search engines, on the other hand, notice when the web developer implements improper techniques on a web page.

However, some practices have not yet been determined if they are Black Hat SEO or not.

SEO is an essential element of the preparation, correction, and maintenance of advertising campaigns on the Internet and web pages.

It’s a technique that works both to improve content dissemination and to make itself known.

A properly implemented SEO will make it easier for different search engines to get the data from your page.

This set of measures not only contemplates positioning techniques but content optimization is also relevant.

A high-quality technical SEO campaign will not make any sense if the website’s text is inconsistent.

There are companies that in the past incorporated meaningless texts on their pages and so, they got a penalty. 

Black Hat SEO is illegal?

Black Hat SEO isn’t an illegal practice unless you attack another website.

If you do, this will cause Google to reject you from its services.

However, those experts in Black Hat SEO, deceive search engines to keep profiting from this questionable strategy.

Not getting caught by search engines is not an easy task.

For this, they have to believe that you have a 100% natural SEO positioning.

What does a Black Hat SEO specialist do?

We previously explained what Black Hat SEO is. Now, a specialist in this technique is an expert in both Search Engine Optimization and web programming.

This professional has extensive knowledge and experience in the techniques that benefit webpage positioning concerning a certain keyword.

We divided the functions of a specialist into two types: one from SEO1 and the other from the SEO2 consultant.

The SEO consultant profile classifications are:

• Technical SEO.
• Creative SEO or content. 
• Analyst.
• Strategic.

It takes a lot of practice and effort to get this profile.

It’s not only about studying web positioning techniques but also testing the potential of a website.

Among the principal functions of a SEO2 Consultant are:

• Plan a company’s web positioning strategy.
• Keyword analysis.
• Successfully plan and implement On-Page and Off-Page optimization of a website.

What is On-Page Optimization? What is Black Hat SEO?

On-Page Optimization applies to all the changes that take place on a website.

Such as measures related to the content and structure of the website.

It all starts with the selection of keywords to achieve a good ranking in the SERPs.

This stands for Search Engine Result Pages, or in other words, the pages of results of the search engines.

So Off-Page Optimization is the opposite, right?

Off-Page optimization are techniques focused on obtaining external links leading a website to improve its organic positioning on search engines.

While SEO On-Page optimizes the internal elements of a web page: structure, improvement of texts, use of keywords, etc. SEO Off-Page implements strategies outside of it.

Surely, there are no more doubts, are there?

Let’s continue!

What is Black Hat SEO? SEO2 Functions:

•  Identify the principal sources of traffic and get relevant information from them.
•  Design of dashboards.

The dashboard is the instrument panel, it’s like a graph that shows the most important indicators when achieving specific objectives in a business.

• Crisis management and negative SEO

An SEO consultant is also responsible for preventing a website from being manipulated by Black Hat SEO techniques. It’s also responsible for managing crises that may affect a company’s website.

When we mention negative SEO, we’re talking about Black Hat SEO, which aims to sabotage the organic ranking and positioning of a competitor in the search results.

So when a search engine algorithm detects this malpractice, it penalizes the websites that are performing them. Thus reducing their organic ranking and positioning, or worse, deleting them from the search results.

It should be clear by now, right? What is Black Hat SEO?

• Planning link building strategies

Link building is an outstanding marketing practice aimed at optimizing a search engine positioning.

Likewise, it’s all the actions it carries out to ensure the linking of a website to increase its popularity.

• Monitor and measure the performance of a web page, What is Black Hat SEO?

What do we mean by this?

An SEO specialist measures and tracks the number of visits, users, page views, views per page, and the bounce rate.

• Continuous On-Page Optimization

Previously, we specified what On-Page Optimization was, and how regularly we should do it. This ensures that both potential customers and search engine robots can correctly interpret the content of a website.

Likewise, with a good SEO On-Page setup, search engines can easily index web pages and easily understand the website’s structure. Finally, an SEO specialist with a Black Hat focus has an advanced knowledge on all the profiles described above.

SEO as teaching

SEO is a discipline that has changed a lot in recent years. Why is that?

Let’s look at the many updates that Google has implemented and how these gave a 180-degree turn to SEO’s understanding. Marketing and everything it entails, is developing more and more.

Always remember to monitor Google updates and how they are used!

SEO is a growing activity. This is because companies are convinced of the strategic importance that being on the first page of search engine results entails. We should keep in mind that SEO is integrated into what makes up your business strategy, and your company’s communication policy. 

Additionally, it’s essential to remember that the good positioning of websites is due to the work of an SEO Optimization specialized team. Its results, although not immediate, are effective. Therefore, it’s an investment that offers a glorious return, being a marketing tool whose results are lasting.

What are Black Hat SEO techniques?

Before, we mentioned and explained what we mean by that term and what it consists of.

Next, we will explain what their employment techniques are:

• Keyword Stuffing, What is Black Hat SEO?

This technique consists of frequently repeating the keyword within the text of the website with the intention of positioning it. 

• The spinning of Contents (Or Spinning)

Here, unlike the previous one. With the use of an automatic software, it modifies pre-existing articles in the network to later change them with synonyms.

• Hidden Text, What is Black Hat SEO?

This is one of the oldest techniques.

It’s used to hide text or keywords with the same background color, with a size small enough that the user won’t perceive it.

• Spam Comments on Blogs

It places worthless comments on blogs with the sole intention of getting visits to the website.

• Cloaking, What is Black Hat SEO?

This technique shows one content to search engines and another to users.

The page that search engines observe is over-optimized with the keywords it tries to position.

• Buying expired domains

It’s about buying domains that expired but still maintain the influence authority to position new websites or redirect users to where it wants them.

• Link Spam, What is Black Hat SEO?

It creates hundreds of inferior quality blogs and websites to implement link building on other websites.

To improve their indexing and positioning, thus creating a great pyramid of links.

How awful!

• Buy-Sell links

It’s about buying and selling links on websites with top domain authority to gain notoriety and improve ranking position.

Such practices will never stop as long as the algorithm keeps giving importance to these websites.

• Page Hijacking, What is Black Hat SEO?

It consists of hijacking a page to create a very similar copy. That way, the search engine believes that the copy is the original.

Don’t fall for copies!

• Negative SEO

It’s about the use of various techniques to harm the competition.

Either by speaking ill, sending bulk backlinks of poor quality, or sending them SPAM.

This only results in the loss of position in the long term.

It ends up losing its favorable position in the search engine results for a short term benefit.

• Mass mailing (SPAM), What is Black Hat SEO?

We certainly have fallen for this technique. It refers to massive SPAM towards emails consented by users.

It’s not bad. But if you use lists with thousands of emails to send mass mailings commercially, then it is.

Mass mailing aims to capture a part of these users to get commercial benefits, don’t abuse it.

Always delete SPAM!

• Abuse guest posts

Guess what this technique is about!

It produces quality backlinks, which is a process that should be built organically.

Posting articles on other blogs can be useful to make yourself known. Although, It’s recommended to not base your website on guest posts since Google will doubt whether you generate content.

You must generate backlinks from unique sources because, otherwise, you will get a penalty.

• Send products for a link. What is Black Hat SEO?

It’s a hidden way to buy links. You offer a product or service for an external link to your website.

• Agreed backlink exchanges.

Link swapping between blogs was a heavily used technique 10 years ago, and it worked until Google stopped it.

Web developers used to base their link building strategy on this practice.

• Create automatic websites. What is Black Hat SEO?

This practice is still used, but Google has improved its algorithm to the point of penalizing these websites. 

• Buy featured positions in directories.

It may seem ironic to you, but some directories offer to put your home page on some prominent website.

It’s a way to get a backlink from the website’s home page.

However, Google knows very well that you pay for these locations.

• Misleading clickbait. What is Black Hat SEO?

Clickbait refers to the creation of sensational titles.

For example: “You will not believe what happened to this woman when she called a locksmith.”

This feature became very fashionable 7 years ago and worked very well, especially on Facebook.

However, Google and its users grew tired of this practice.

• Creation of PBNs or Private Blog Networks.

Did you know that PBNs became popular 4 years ago?

The same web developer created blogs in different IPs and hostings and then linked the websites they wanted to position from their network.

Google, our faithful friend who does not fail, refined its algorithm to detect these patterns and penalized them all.

• Abuse of links in the footer of a web. What is Black Hat SEO?

Some web developers use the footer of their website to link to other websites.

For example:

“Web positioning in Mallorca” and repeat that link with all the Spanish provinces.

These links only change the province and then redirect to very poor websites with poor quality text.

• Tools that leave automatic comments.

These are tools that because of their use of proxies, leave thousands of spam comments on WordPress websites.

Surely you have received comments of this type.

Therefore, it’s necessary to put an anti-spam plugin on the website.

What are proxies?

They are servers that act as mediators in requests for resources made by a client to another server.

• Changing the content of the post once you have reached a good ranking.

This is another technique that is old and used.

It creates a spectacular post that ends up positioning itself in the first positions.

Then, it changes the content of the article to commercial content to make money with affiliates.

Over time, the user changes and the post ends up disappearing.

• 301 redirects to sell traffic. What is Black Hat SEO?

Although it may not seem like it, it’s a heavily used tactic on movie download sites that have hundreds of thousands of visits daily.

They sell traffic to other web developers because of a 301 redirect that they implement somewhere on their website. 

They also place links to their customers’ websites on the “Download” buttons. This leads to a monumental waste of time and an unpleasant user experience. Surely you have fallen into these tricks.

• Overuse of keywords

Some people make gigantic spam from the moment of purchasing the domain. For example, plumberensalamanca.es. 

After this, they buy backlinks and all the anchor texts are like “Plumber in Salamanca”, which leads to a certain penalty.

Backlinks are the links that a web page receives from other websites.

Anchor text is the visible text on a link or hyperlink that provides information about content to which we want to direct the user and search engines.

• Negative SEO towards competition.What is Black Hat SEO?

Such a technique is disastrous and almost illegal. It consists of creating links from penalized websites to your competition.

Some of them carry these practices in the competition’s name. Google has stated many times that its algorithm knows how to detect this practice.

Would you like to improve the SEO of your page?

What is Black Hat SEO? Contact us, we are just a click away!

We are a company specialized in SEO with a team of talented experts who will provide you with the solution to your problems. We are grateful to be one of your options when informing you.

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