Search Engine Optimization is the method to make a website visible on the search engine results page. There are various tasks to perform, in order for the prominent presence of the website in the search listing. These tasks include having keyword-rich content on a webpage, content optimizing, creating good backlinks to a specific page, and many others. SEO techniques make the website receive traffic from free, natural, and organic search results. Let us discuss in detail the differences between a black hat SEO, grey hat SEO, and white hat SEO.
Whenever a search phrase is triggered on a search engine server, the in-built algorithm gets into action. These algorithms display the best result that the search bot considers appropriate for that particular search term. The entire directory of billions of records is scanned and filtered to display the finest result to the visitor.
Get the page indexed in Search Directory
The question is, who decides, what is best? Who puts some pages on top of the list while others get buried deep down 20 pages? The answer is: it all depends on how these pages were optimized. Google and all other search engines have their own set of algorithms, rules, and regulations on how a page shall be optimized.
Search engine optimizes a webpage by various means which can be categorized under White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO. In simple terms, if one follows the algorithm sets without breaking the rules, it is White Hat SEO or else, it will fall under Black Hat techniques.
What are the white hat SEO techniques?
White Hat SEO is a collection of strategies, techniques, and methods of optimizing a webpage following the guidelines that Google or other search engines like. These optimized pages are more human-centric. They are made to please the visitor with accurate information, clear readability, and authentic data.
There are various factors that contribute to the successful White Hat SEO implementation. Following the ethical way of promoting webpages, yields result for a long time. The following are a few of the basic White Hat SEO implementation options.
Effective usage of keywords
Keywords are the backbone of the SEO process and are most sought after by search engine bots. They look for keywords and key phrases at all places, be it in Content, Image Alt text, Backlink, and many other areas.
The entire game of SEO plays around the effective usage of keywords and their placement along with a number of occurrences in a webpage.
Search engine crawlers hunt for Meta tags. The title tag, Description Tag, Keywords tag, and various others form a part of the META tag family. The length of each Meta Tag varies, so one has to make sure to insert the proper keywords within the permissible limit.
Effective Link building
Getting a one-way link referring to the webpage gets a good page rank score. Do not indulge in spamming and stop using getting backlinks from low-ranked web pages. Try to get a one-way backlink pointing towards your website from a reputed and high-traffic generating website.
High-quality content
Content is King and this still holds true. No other SEO trick works better than fresh content associated with the effective use of keywords. Do not over-play with keywords and limit the use of them when and wherever necessary.
What are black hat SEO techniques?
As the name suggests, Black Hat SEO is used to achieve good search engine result ranking by means that can be categorized under spam or another-way-around methods. It manipulates the algorithms to get higher rankings.
However, these achievements are only a short-term gain and may result in a ban or bad ranking for webpage in time to come. Few of the Black Hat SEO strategies that web developers use are:
Keyword stuffing
This is the most common error that all happily accept to commit. Stuffing all the keywords multiple times just for the sake of their presence will kill the entire readability score of the webpage.
The tradeoff is to get good points for keyword usage, which sometimes is not fruitful at all.
For example, the stuffing keyword in the following manner will certainly have no impact. “We are the best website designer in India. In India, we are the finest web designing company. Come to us for good quality website designing because we are the best web designing company”
The above text looks so odd when reading.
Link Farming
Link farming is collecting as many backlinks as possible by link exchange programs. You promote my site, I’ll promote yours.
However, search engine bots are smart to know the difference between true one-way backlink, link farming, and triangular link-exchange as well. Do not fall into the trap of such link exchanges with low-ranking websites promoting your web page.
Cloaking
Cloaking is some sort of cheating in its true meaning. Crawlers cannot read images, they read the codes, related alt- attributes, and other links and anchor text.
With the help of the Black Hat trick, one can design a page where a visitor is reading or viewing some info, whereas the crawlers are fed with hidden spa, content to get good ranks.
What are the grey hat SEO techniques?
This SEO technique uses ways that are neither white hat nor black hat.
Even though they are manipulative in nature and its strategies, they are yet not featured in the bad-books of Google search techniques.
They don’t follow the exact process following all the rules, but neither do they break the rules. They actually bend them as per the need.
For instance, White Hat strategies say that one shall have usage of prime keyword 3 times in the first 500 words. On the other hand, Black Hat developers use these keywords more than 30 times, stuffing for various unwanted reasons. This is where Grey Hat SEO analysts play their role and use such a keyword between 5-10 times. They take the safe option.
Under any circumstance, one shall prohibit the usage of Black Hat SEO or Grey Hat SEO methods to avoid any sort of webpage ban or facing any penalty issues from search engines.
Conclusion & which search technique to use?
SEO takes time.
Similarly, webpages optimized with White Hat methods take time to reach on top of SERPs. However, once they reach the first page, they stay for a longer duration and attracting more traffics that is organic.
Time, money, and effort invested in White Hat strategies will pay in due course of time. No matter, Black Hat’s prompt results will lure you to embrace it for an easy and quick win, but it would be just a temporary one.
White hat followers do not have to worry regarding regular algorithm updates. It follows ethical guidelines, does not violates or breach and rules, and will yield long-term gain for webpages.
Long term positive result is what we all are fighting for. So, just forgetting about any black hat and grey hat. Simply ask your website developer to look no further beyond White Hat SEO strategies.
If you have any questions related to search techniques please leave them in the comments below. Check out the latest trend in SEO for new and small businesses.
