Black hat SEO: 4 tactics you should avoid
Using black hat SEO counts as unethical attempts to manipulate search engines and can lead to real setbacks. In the worst case, a website may be downloaded or not ranked at all.
Search engines like Google have become increasingly keen on identifying various tricks. There are several different techniques that are considered manipulation.
Here you can read about four tactics and why you should avoid them.
You also get to take part in alternatives, ie white hat SEO. This means that not only are the search engines satisfied, the real visitor gets more out of your site.
1. Buying links – a risk that is not worth taking
That other pages link to a page is good for SEO. Therefore, it can be tempting to pay other sites to link to as it is a quick option. Payment is not just money but also refers to services or goods. Buying or selling links is in direct violation of the Google Webmaster Guidelines. There is a detailed description of what counts as link schemes that are good to read through.
If the search engines discover that a site uses purchased links, the violation can lead to various penalties. It may be that the page is not ranked at all and thus the bet has been completely lost.
Options for buying links – 3 tips on how to do it
That other pages link to a page increases traffic and is encouraged by the search engines. For others to link to the page, it is better to:
- Work with content that is valuable for others to link to.
- Find owners for sites that you can add value to.
- Convince with selling arguments to link to you.
It requires a lot of work but which pays off in the long run and without risking being exposed to the wrath of the search engines.
2. Keyword stuffing – overusing and stacking keywords
Keyword stuffing is a method where keywords are stacked on top of each other and used repetitively in different sentences. Other ways are to stack places and areas that the site is trying to rank. It may also be to use telephone numbers or numbers that are not relevant to the content.
The method is intended to manipulate the search engines but has the opposite effect. The two main disadvantages are:
- Google has become really quick to find sites that use the method and are quick to act against them. This means that the page can drop in the ranking, which is the opposite effect that you want to achieve.
- The text will be difficult to read and of no value to real people who visit the site. Stacking keywords makes the text appear to have been written by an AI for AI.
Do this instead when working with keywords
Working with keywords is a bit of an art but assume you are writing for humans, not a robot. By writing relevant and good material, there is a greater chance of increasing conversions. Also work with more advanced keywords like long-tail keywords.
Example:
Do not just wear pants men. Take the time to research what potential customers are looking for that matches your product. It can be men’s trousers in environmentally friendly cotton, alternatively a special type of trousers for men that your target group is looking for.
By working strategically and content-based with keywords, it is possible to get significantly better rankings and also more conversions.
3. Blog Comments- Avoid flooding comments with links
It is not uncommon to see lots of irrelevant spam comments that link to a particular page. That kind of irrelevant comments not only creates irritation but affects the brand and indirectly SEO negatively.
To work strategically with blog comments
There are several different tools that help to work strategically with blog comments. Among other things, Ahref’s content explorer has functions that help you search for the right pages to process. It may not be as effective in terms of SEO but you can create value for anyone looking for information on a particular topic or product.
By responding helpfully and making sure that your page contains information that can help people, you can get more visitors and customers. In addition, it can indirectly affect SEO work if others start linking after finding the website helpful.
4. What is negative SEO?
In short, negative SEO means that someone is actively and strategically working to degrade a page’s ranking in the search engines. One way is to spam-link to a page or alternatively make the page tough or knock out the page through targeted attacks.
The advantage, it rarely happens
It is not a common tactic in Sweden and rarely something to worry about. In addition, search engines like Google can recognize attacks which means that SEO ranking is not affected. After all, it requires someone to decide to direct many thousands of links to your site in a short amount of time.
Black hat SEO summary
Black hat SEO is different ways of trying to manipulate search engines like Google. It is against Google’s rules to buy links, that is, to somehow pay for someone to link to your site. If you are caught, the punishment can be to stop being ranked and therefore a very risky alternative.
Google encourages unique and relevant content. Therefore, keyword stuffing, overusing and filling the page with irrelevant keywords is strategically counterproductive. Instead, work with more specific keywords and subcategories.
Also, do not spam with blog comments that link to a page. Instead, work with helpful comments and make sure your site has relevant content that visitors find attractive. Negative SEO is rarely a problem as it requires someone actively working to lower your page through thousands of spam links or targeted attacks.
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