What Is White Hat SEO?
The term “white hat SEO” refers to SEO tactics that are in line with the terms and conditions of the major search engines, including Google.
White hat SEO is the opposite of Black Hat SEO.
Black Hat SEO is most commonly defined as a disapproved practice that nevertheless could increase a page’s ranking in a search engine result page.
These practices are against the search engine’s terms of service and can result in the site being banned from the search engine and affiliate sites.
A list of tactics and strategies employed by black hat SEO practitioners have been openly denounced on Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and Bing’s Webmaster Guidelines.
Why You Should Avoid Black Hat SEO…
Black Hat SEO tactics can get your website banned from Google and other search engines.
Though there may be some short-term success through increased traffic to your site, Google penalties are getting more and more sophisticated and can have devastating effects on your rankings and traffic.
With hundreds of millions of users searching on Google per day, can you really afford to be de-indexed?
So, now you know Black Hat is BAD, Let’s Look At What You Need to Do…
Generally, a well-planned SEO strategy improves your search rankings on a search engine results page (commonly known as SERP) while maintaining the integrity of your website and staying within the search engines’ terms of service.
These tactics stay within the bounds as defined by Google.
Examples of good SEO practices include:
- Offering quality content and services
- Fast site loading times and mobile-friendliness
- Using descriptive, keyword-rich meta tags meta tags
- Making your site easy to navigate
Examples of black hat SEO, by contrast, include purchasing links or using deceptive cloaking techniques. Any tactics that are considered deceitful or harmful for consumers would qualify as black hat.
Black hat tactics are extremely risky and, as Google’s algorithms evolve, less and less likely to work.
Why Are White Hat SEO Techniques Important?
Failure to engage only in White Hat SEO practices can get your site banned from Google and other search engines.
As the number one search engine, Google is visited by billions of people per day, and each visit presents the potential for your site to be discovered by a new user.
Google is an undeniably powerful source of traffic to your website, and being banned can result in a drastic drop in website traffic and even business.
Consider all the work that goes into your website and then think about what it would be like to be banned from the internet’s most commonly used search engine.
What’s worse, once you’re banned from Google, there is no guarantee that they will ever re-list you. A lifetime ban from Google would have tremendous consequences.
Why risk it? Check out a complete description of Google-approved SEO techniques at Webmaster Guidelines. Google’s Webmaster resources are the go-to place to learn Google white hat SEO practices.
Should You Implement White Hat SEO Methods?
Definitely! Implementing White Hat SEO practices is the best way to create an ethical, sustainably successful website and business.
Here are some of the steps you should follow to make sure your SEO methods are strictly white hat.
Offer Quality Content and Services
Create high-quality content that meets your visitors’ needs and helps solve their problems. Use SEO keyword research tools to discover the most relevant keywords that your site content should be optimised for.
Then focus on using those keywords in great content, such as how-to articles and videos, that match the intent of the keyword and your end-user.
For more help with white hat SEO, check out our complete guide to SEO basics.
You’ll learn everything you need to know about search engine optimisation techniques that will drive traffic and won’t violate the search engines’ guidelines.
