Black Hat Techniques

Manipulating Content

Content is the very basis of Search Engine Optimisation and Black Hat SEO practitioners manipulate content. One of the techniques used is scraping, which includes automation of content-duplication from other web pages. The process uses Markov chain generator based on Andrei Markov’s algorithm to change order of the words or frame new sentences from the duplicate content.

Manipulating Metadata & Meta Tags

Meta Tags are used as a summary of the webpage, to inform the search engines about the content of the webpage. This Black Hat SEO technique involves using these Meta tags to embed a high volume of keywords. Meta description is an introduction, no more than a few hundred characters (under 160 characters is the best practice), about the contents of the page and would look like

" meta name = "description" content =" Table Booking has never been so easy, Simple & Free online restaurant reservations in any of 19 countries, Make your online restaurant booking now"/>"

However using Black Hat technique promoting an online restaurant booking would look like

" meta name="description" content="XYZ website is the best Online booking website, our online booking is better than any Online booking website, great restaurant, best food restaurant, visit our website"/>"

Similar changes and addition of a particular keyword in bulk is done in the content of meta keywords as well and certain other tags like the comments tag .

Blog farming

Blog farming or Splogging is creating numerous blogs by automated processes with irrelevant and senseless content and interlinking schemes and most importantly the outbound links. Blogs are indexed very quickly by the search engines, and hence can start appearing in the SERPs quickly. A lot of organic traffic can be routed fairly quickly by this technique.

Doorway Pages

Black Hat SEO practitioners create web pages that are optimised for a couple of keywords with excessive keyword density with links to the desired landing page. These pages are constructed specifically for the search engine crawlers and not for the end user. The surfer is redirected to the desired landing page as soon as he clicks on any such page when it comes up on the SERP.

Black Hat SEO requires using the above described and other unethical techniques and sometimes illegal procedures, as in case of content duplication which can lead to copyright infringement. These techniques are focused on revenue generation without providing services and facilitation of good user experience. In crux Black Hat SEO techniques dilute the whole idea of internet search, where an internet surfer is looking for relevant and quality content. The attraction to such techniques is their quick effect on the page rankings, but it is not sustainable. These tricks can even lead to getting the site banned and penalised from search engines.

White Hat SEO in comparison involves legitimate and ethical techniques to increase traffic. Although White Hat SEO techniques show a gradual progress, they are sustainable and focus on the quality of web content thus enhancing the user experience. The most popular White Hat SEO techniques involve producing and updating relevant & original content, conducting in-depth keyword research and establishing quality inbound links for the desired web page. White Hat SEO or the ethical SEO is of greater importance and brings about a sustained growth in the web page rankings.