I learned long ago that the web development world is really the ‘wild west’ of the 21st century. It can be a fun place to build and design but it is also filled with the good the bad and the ugly. Web professionals that develop online assists for companies are in an environment of constant change. Here at Comstar, we talk how we create and deliver online assists through variations of services. One service that many clients positively benefit from is our SEO plan.
Unlike Comstar, some companies approach to SEO is ‘do whatever you can to increase your search rankings and do it quick!” this may at first seem like a good idea, though it can actually do more harm than good to your search rankings. Let me explain, if you allow the ‘do whatever you can’ mentality to build your website and mend your web result issue, you may be sorely disappointed. In the attempt to boost your page, SEO is needed but some people and companies will use something called, “black hat” SEO. And let me tell you, Black hat SEO is not always a good thing.
So, what is Black hat SEO? Why is it a big deal?
Black hat SEO is considered an unethical web practice to boost website results among search engines, gaining a quick return on investment, rather than a better and more profitable long term solution. A few techniques of black hat SEO may include include doorway pages, stuffing of keywords, invisible “ghost” text, adding unrelated keywords to the page content or page swapping (changing the webpage entirely after it has been ranked by search engines).
Why is Black hat SEO a bad choice?
Simple. Search engines are well aware of Black Hat SEO practices. Search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and others can pick up on landing pages that may hold invisible texts or keyword stuffing (manipulating a site’s ranking). Unethical strategies are on the rise but so are the web sheriffs like Google, Bing and others. If you choose to play by the rules you’ll be able to reap what you grow. Don’t be the bad guy. A short term fix may seem like an easy thing to do, but with sites like Google visiting websites, search engines are aware of black hat SEO and their ethics. If you are found using Black hat SEO your website may be penalized and even band from search engines. If you have a landing page with “ghost” text or any text that is not visible to the reader, get rid of it. If you adhere to the rules and proper practices set by Google, you’ll be much better off. Choose to create an online assist that will benefit you for years to come! In long run, you’ll be able to call your website an online assist and a smart investment.