What is White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO?

White Hat and Black Hat SEO are terms you’ll often hear in the field of search engine optimisation (SEO), often sparking debates among marketers. These two techniques are complete opposites, almost like the yin and yang of SEO techniques. 

White Hat SEO is all about using methods that align with guidelines set out by search engines like Google. You’re essentially playing by the book and it’s the ethical way to boost your website’s page rankings. Google’s ‘Google Search Essentials’ outlines all the different rules and recommendations as well as best practices to help marketers and businesses approach their site’s SEO. It’s an SEO cheat sheet for those looking to implement white hat methods.

On the other hand, black hat SEO completely disregards these guidelines, and instead bends or breaks the rules to quickly climb the search engine results page (SERP) rankings. It’s all about playing with the search engines to gain fast results. While it may seem like a good strategy, once search engines catch wind of your shady tactics, your site can get penalised hard. Search engines are also constantly on the lookout for the latest unethical SEO trends, and release algorithm updates that address these repeatedly. While the quick wins do seem enticing, they’re extremely short-lived and fail to deliver lasting results. You’ll get a huge spike in leads and potential customers in the short-term while receiving nothing in the long-term.

SEO is a long-term game, so you need to be in it for the long haul. If you’re patient and follow best practices, your web pages will slowly climb the rankings. On the other hand, trying to cut corners, work in the short-term, but will end up biting you in the back. 

Black hat SEO:

As I touched on previously, black hat SEO involves trying to trick search engines into believing a website is much more relevant to certain search queries than it actually is. The issue is, that search engines are not big fans of black hat SEO and highly disapprove of these practices. Those who use black hat SEO techniques are always looking to please search engines, often forgetting about the users, leading to a negative user experience. Google also actively encourages users to report spammy, deceptive or low-quality webpages. Some common black hat SEO techniques include:

Some common black hat SEO techniques include:

1. Keyword Stuffing: Keyword stuffing is where people will use an excess amount of a specific keyword to make it seem as if their website is more relevant than it actually is. I have seen many businesses doing this unknowingly. They stuff their content with the keyword they wish to rank for, in hopes of getting their web page to rank higher. Instead, they end up harming their website as Google views them as violating policies. Instead use synonyms and related key phrases to describe what you’re talking about to increase the quality of your content, as well as your SERP rankings.
2. Cloaking: Cloaking is a sneaky tool where people will display two different content pages to users and search engines. It’s a way to trick both search engines and users by boosting their rankings for certain keywords that have no relevance to what their web page is actually about. This makes it seem like a valuable source of information in the eyes of search engines, but it is usually a scam or spam site.
3. Hidden Text: Hidden text, is yet another deceptive (appears to be a recurring theme), that involves hiding content users by making the text the same colour as the background, placing it off the screen, using CSS to hide the content, or reducing the font size to zero. Similar to cloaking, hiding the text is all about making the content seem more relevant. This doesn’t include unique user-friendly methods such as accordions, tabs, or image hover effects. Thanks to search engines and their algorithm updates, they can easily detect when someone is trying to implement hidden text techniques within their websites.
4. Paid Links: Although obtaining backlinks can be a game-changer for your search engine rankings, it can become problematic when money enters the scene. When viewing the act of paying for links for the sole purpose of link building as manipulative as you haven’t earned those backlinks, Google actively encourages users to report instances of link buying or selling. They also mention that people who purchase and sell these types of links may face penalties. Now, let’s say you’ve been innocently buying links, not realising it’s a black hat SEO move. The best thing to do is to get rid of those paid links ASAP. Google also have this handy tool; the disavow links tool, which allows you to basically inform Google to ignore those paid links when calculating your PageRank.
5. CTR Manipulation: CTR manipulation is a controversial SEO technique used to artificially inflate the number of clicks on your website for specific keywords or pages to boost your search engine ranking. It is a form of click fraud and goes against search engine guidelines. 

Aren’t too sure about whether a new technique you just learnt about is black hat SEO? A tactic falls under the black hat SEO category if it; breaks search engine rules, manipulates either users or search engines, and is about getting fast results.

White Hat SEO:

White hat SEO, aka the angel of the SEO world, focuses on following the rules and guidelines set out by search engines. Not only is it more legitimate, but it’s also much more ethical, as you’re not using manipulative tactics. When following white hat SEO techniques, your mission is clear: add value to your users by putting out quality content that is unique and SEO-optimised. While it does take a while to gain traffic this way, you’re able to grow and build a sustainable online presence, alongside a dedicated community base. Remember: patience is key, and you will eventually be rewarded by search engines for your efforts!

Some common white hat SEO techniques include:

1. Keyword research: When it comes to a high-quality SEO strategy, you can never skip the important step of keyword research. This is where you dive deep into understanding words and phrases your target audience is typing in search engines. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Neil Patel’s AnswerThePublic can be a real game-changer when you’re looking for keywords. You’ll be able to get an insight into the level of competition for each keyword, as well as the amount of searches. Once you get your hands on the right keywords, it doesn’t just stop there. You’ll need to understand how to strategically scatter them across your content to maximise your content’s potential. Make sure not to go overboard, to avoid being penalised for accidental keyword stuffing. You also want to avoid using the same keyword over and over again. Look for synonyms and related keyphrases to keep a good level of keyword density. 
2. High-quality content: Another important aspect of white hat SEO is content marketing. You’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king,” and it’s a golden rule that marketers follow. It’s not about putting words on a page. It’s about making sure that your content is engaging, informative, and valuable to ensure your content ranks high in search engines. Your content needs to be original to avoid falling under the back hat SEO category of duplicate content. To do this, aim for at least 1,000 words for every piece of content you’re putting out on your site. This ensures search engines are seeing your content as high-quality. Remember: search engines can sometimes be limited in accurately determining whether your content is valuable or not. This is why they use certain indicators such as word count, readability, and keywords to help them. Keep in mind, that while it may take some time to start getting an influx of traffic, the pay-off is definitely worth it. 
3. Optimise on-page and technical SEO: On-page SEO is the process of fine-tuning the actual content on your website to make it more appealing to search engines. It includes optimising aspects such as meta descriptions, improving content readability, and identifying headers within. your content, etc. By doing this, you’re ensuring your website speaks the search engine’s language. This makes it easier for search engines to get a better understanding of your content. Technical SEO is more about digging into things like site speed, structured data, mobile-friendliness, etc. It mainly focuses on the user and their experience, as search engines love when you centre your website around your users.

3 things to remember when adopting white hat SEO techniques:

Focus on user experience: 

Search engines such as Google are constantly pushing out updates focused on users and their experience. Your website should be user-friendly and responsive on all devices, and your content should cater to answering the questions users are asking. Make it in-depth, interesting, and easy to read. The key is to maintain user engagement with relevant, high-quality content.

Invest the time:

White hat SEO is about playing the long game. It’s like nurturing a real relationship – it takes time but creates meaningful results you don’t regret putting the time into. By investing in content that genuinely connects with your audience, you’re not just building credibility with users but also winning the trust of search engines. A win-win in my eyes! 

Quality Over Quantity:

When you’re looking to implement content as a part of your SEO strategy, make sure to focus on quality over quantity. 1 high-quality blog post easily beats 20 low-quality, low-word count content, in the eyes of search engines. Make sure to continuously update your content with new and up-to-date information with the latest data and relevant sources. When you do that, you come across as a source for the latest news within your niche, making your audience keep coming back for more.

White Hat vs Black Hat SEO: Key Difference:

Knowing the difference between white hat and black hat SEO is extremely important if you want to steer clear of the black hat SEO trap. Here is the key difference to make sure you don’t end up on the wrong side of search engine algorithms:

Approach to Search Engine Guidelines:

Search engines, such as Google, constantly fine-tune their algorithms to deliver the most relevant and high-quality content to users. To keep up, website owners and SEO professionals use a mix of various strategies (some ethical, some not so much), to get their website seen. 

The key difference between white hat and black hat SEO comes down to one thing – playing by the rules set by search engines. White hat SEO practices comply with the guidelines set by search engines. They often have a focus on putting your audience first with killer content and a user-friendly website.

On the flip side, black hat SEO techniques aim to exploit loopholes in search engine algorithms to unethically gain higher rankings. The techniques used often mean sacrificing quality and integrity in exchange for landing on that first page of Google. Tactics such as keyword stuffing, coking and using private link networks are used to give the website a quick boost. 

The best approach to search engine optimisation is to stick to ethical practices. Using white hat SEO ensures long-term success and sustainability in search engine rankings. Sure, it might not give you those instant results like some black hat techniques, but trust me, it’s worth it in the long run.

Grey Hat SEO:

Right in the middle of the SEO spectrum, you’ll find something called grey hat SEO. This technique falls into a grey area.  The techniques used don’t necessarily break the rules, however, they definitely play on how search engines rank your website. The reason for the ambiguity stems from the debate on whether these tactics are ethical or not. Sometimes, it is incredibly hard to tell because of the lack of clarity when it comes to search engine guidelines. 

Using these techniques has the potential to either boost your website’s search engine rankings or penalise your site completely. This is the risk of using such techniques as it’s a complete coin flip on the outcome. This is why I strongly advise staying far away from using these tactics to keep your website’s integrity intact.

One interesting thing to note is that grey hat SEO strategies can be a moving target. What’s considered a grey hat technique one day can completely shift into the black or white hat categories another day. This means marketers must always be on their toes and change their SEO strategy when needed.

Some common grey hat SEO techniques include:

1. Clever Use Of Keyword Density: One common approach involves the clever use of keyword density. This technique involves finding that sweet spot when it comes to your keywords. You want to use them enough to boost your search rankings, but not so much that it feels spammy. 
2. Doorway Pages: Another technique widely used in grey hat SEO is the use of doorway pages. These are specific pages that are optimised for certain search queries that act as a doorway to your main website.
3. Private Blog Networks: Private blog networks (PBNs), work by having a little network of websites that link back to a main site. It’s a manipulative way to boost a site’s authority and search ranking.
4. Keyword Stuffing: The keyword stuffing technique used in grey hat SEO technique is a little more subtle in comparison to black hat SEO. The trick is to sprinkle in a bunch of keywords but be careful not to overdo it. 

Black Hat SEO vs White Hat SEO FAQs:

FAQ: What is the role of link building in Black Hat SEO?

Link building plays a huge role in SEO, and this is especially the case for black hat SEO. However, as you can already predict, things work a little differently when you’re not playing by the rules. Instead of focusing on quality and relevance, Black Hat SEO relies on sketchy tactics to boost a website’s ranking. Link building here involves using manipulative methods to inflate the number of backlinks pointing to a site. These methods include buying links, joining link farms, or using automated tools to generate links. It’s all about quantity, not quality, with little regard for the credibility or authority of the linking sites.

The main objective of these Black Hat strategies is to trick search engines into ranking a site higher than it deserves based on its content quality or relevance. The idea is that more backlinks, no matter where they come from, will lead to a higher ranking. But search engines aren’t easily fooled. They have systems and tools in place to detect any manipulative link practices. This makes search algorithms pretty good at spotting and punishing websites that engage in Black Hat tactics. Penalties can range from a drop in rankings to being completely removed from search results, which can seriously hurt a site’s traffic and reputation. So, while it might seem like a shortcut, the risks far outweigh the rewards in Black Hat link building.

FAQ: How can Someone differentiate between Black Hat SEO and White Hat SEO practices?

Distinguishing between these two approaches boils down to understanding the intent behind the SEO tactics and whether they play by the rules set by search engines. If a strategy sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Techniques that promise quick wins and overnight results often come with hefty risks when you put them into action on your site.

FAQ: Can black hat SEO techniques ever be justified in certain situations, such as in highly competitive markets?

In super competitive markets, you might wonder if resorting to black hat methods is worth it. Especially when you’re fighting tooth and nail for your audience’s attention, getting any edge could seem crucial. However, even in cutthroat markets, you shouldn’t forget the basics: trust, credibility, and delivering long-term value to users. Through this lens, resorting to manipulative SEO tactics undermines the integrity of the internet and tilts the playing field in your favour where you leave everyone else in the dust. 

FAQ: How do search engines penalise websites employing black hat SEO tactics, and what steps can be taken to recover from such penalties?

Search engines, such as Google, have a range of sophisticated systems in place to sniff out and punish websites using manipulative SEO tactics. Google’s Spambrain system detects unethical practices such as keyword stuffing and cloaking. 

Now, if your site gets hit with one of these penalties, there’s a way to bounce back. You first need to identify the issues that led to the penalty. Then, ditch all those black hat tactics on your site and focus on creating killer content that plays by the rules. Once you’ve made the fixes, it’s time to make your case to Google. You can do this by submitting a reconsideration request to the search engine, detailing the actions taken to clean up the site. Following these steps can help you claw your way back up the rankings and rebuild trust with search engines. But, just a heads up—it’s not gonna happen overnight. Recovering from a penalty takes time and a solid commitment to doing things the right way for the long haul.