To rank well in Google search many spammers try to manipulate algorithms by practicing various unethical methods such as link manipulation, keyword stuffing, content spinning, hidden texts & links, buying an old domain and then redirecting that site to target site etc. These techniques are simply treated as black hat SEO because Google doesn’t approve these methods as right way to get recognition in search engines. These strategies may give websites some instant results but in long run it can result in a penalty, prohibiting websites from listing in search engine results for extended periods of time. Google has implemented many changes to its algorithms like Penguin, Panda, and Hummingbird & Possum to identify and prevent these manipulative methods from ranking low quality sites. This way they are able to provide users with good quality sites in search results. Yet, some freelance companies and low quality digital marketing providers that have limited skill and capability to implement effective white hat strategies, are deceiving website owners with black hat practices.
How to protect websites from black hat SEO practices?
Sometimes, businesses who cannot build their brand reputation online, target their competitors with other spammy activities like building spammy links for their websites, copying & distributing the content online, creating fake social profile links etc. It is also important to protect websites from such fake attacks otherwise it will be a huge loss both in terms of Google rankings and business revenues. While not doing black hat SEO, the white hat provider should be able to use the right tools, methods and features of webmaster tools to clean up. All this requires a lot of talented and trained staff that are not easy to find. So you get what you pay for if you only choose low fees.
Why is black hat SEO risky for websites?
Unknowingly, some website owners partner with wrong SEO Service Providers because they cannot evaluate the right digital marketing approach. It is kind of risky to work with such low quality digital marketing service providers because they utilize black hat SEO methods to quickly boost up the site rankings. It may sound better initially to have good traffic to the website and improve rankings in search results, but eventually the site is penalized and may get banned from Google and other search engines. Any website trying to build brand awareness and seeking long-term sustainable business, should not use black hat practices for search engine optimization. If Google doesn’t acknowledge the site in search results, then the site will not be visible to the users in results pages. This could be quite devastating for business websites because they depend on online visibility for their lead generation and business revenues.
Why is it important to choose white hat SEO provider?
It is hard to be pragmatic and analyze the site for black hat SEO, if you are new and trying to learn digital marketing concepts from scratch. To be honest search engine optimization is a vast topic. If you are a website owner seeking a digital marketing company, evaluating the vendor is a business expertise. When confronted with a fairly complex topic like search engine optimization, most site owners typically opt for low cost service – the budget allocated is small and it gives a comfort factor. They assume they made a right choice because they don’t know how to judge quality white hat work. Since the white hat providers are in general more expensive, they feel uncomfortable to choose such providers. They do not understand that not every SEO provider can implement white hat SEO strategies because the methods and techniques are complex, requiring both skill and judgement. It is easy to confuse a website owner and claim a black hat method as white hat. The website owner may just be amazed with the ‘knowledge’ of the black hat provider.
Unfortunately, most website owners realize the hard way when their site loses out in rankings to competitors. At such time after being hit with low rankings, business owners get motivated to discover how to identify white hat methods and temper their expectations. But it need not be that way, website owners could consider spending a little time understanding and reflecting on the SEO methods to make wise choices. Such efforts are only a small fraction of the effort needed to do the actual SEO work. Moreover, once you have a good SEO provider you need not keep doing a lot of this research continuously. Your trusted SEO partner could keep you in the loop.
By: Uma Sri