Black Hat SEO tactics that you need to avoid

Intro

There are a lot of SEO (search engine optimization) tactics that you can use to improve your website's ranking on Google and other search engines. However, not all of these tactics are ethical or safe, and some of them could get your website banned from Google altogether.

This article will discuss some of the most common Black Hat SEO tactics you should avoid. We'll also talk about the dangers of using Black Hat SEO methods and how to protect your website from being penalized by Google.

PBNs

(Image Source - Backlinkboss)

Private Blog Networks (PBNs) are a popular Black Hat SEO tactic. They are a network of websites owned by the same person or company. The purpose of a PBN is to link back to your main website, which can help improve your website's ranking on Google.

PBNs are a group of websites that link to each other to boost the search engine rankings of their members. PBNs are typically created by buying and setting up expired domain names with high PageRank values.

PBNs are against Google's terms of service. They can be very effective at boosting rankings in a short period. If Google discovers a PBN, its members could see their rankings drop. Always make sure that you monitor your backlink profile every month.

Hidden Links

Hidden links are another Black Hat SEO tactic that you should avoid. Hidden links are hidden in the code of your website, designed to improve your website's ranking on Google but are also against Google's terms of service.

There's a lot of misinformation about hidden links and their role in SEO. Some people believe that hidden links are a black hat tactic that will get your website penalized by Google, and others believe that they are a grey hat tactic that can be used to improve your website's ranking. So, what's the truth?

Hidden links are simply links that are not visible to the user. They can be hidden within the code of a webpage or an image file. Hidden links are typically hidden using CSS or JavaScript, making them difficult for users to spot. However, they can often be detected by looking at the source code of a webpage.

Spammers and black hat SEOs often use hidden links to manipulate search engine rankings. However, they can also be used legitimately by web admins to improve the user experience on their websites. For example, they can redirect users from one page to another without clicking through multiple pages.

Footer Links

Footer links are hidden links that can help improve your website's ranking on Google. They are links that are placed in the footer of your website. The purpose of footer links is to pass PageRank from your website to other websites.

Footer links are a type of hidden link traditionally used by black hat SEOs to try and game the system. Essentially, they are links placed in the footer of a website, often surrounded by other text or links, to make them less visible to users. Footer links can also be used to link to unrelated or low-quality sites to improve a site's link profile; This can be done by using hidden text or images containing links.

However, search engines know this tactic well and have stated that footer links carry very little weight. As a result, there's no reason to use them anymore - unless you're trying to get penalized by Google, of course.

Overused Anchor Text

"Anchor text" is one of them. But what exactly is overused anchor text? Why is it a big deal in the world of SEO?

Overused anchor text is a problem that plagues many website owners. For those unfamiliar with the term, anchor text is the visible text appearing on a web page when you link to it. In the early days of SEO, site owners would stuff their anchor text with keywords to manipulate search engine rankings. This can be viewed as keyword stuffing and is generally considered a black hat SEO tactic.

(Image Source - Google)

First, it can make your site look spammy to search engines. Second, it can result in a lower click-through rate since users will see the same word repeatedly and may eventually tune it out. While there is no hard and fast rule for how much anchor text should be used, it's generally agreed that overuse is terrible. Too much anchor text can make your site look spammy and lead to penalties from search engines.

So what's the takeaway? Use anchor text sparingly, and ensure that the words you use are relevant to the page you're linking to. Otherwise, you could end up doing more harm than good.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is a black hat SEO technique in which a web page is loaded with an excessive number of keywords in an attempt to manipulate the search engine rankings.

Keyword stuffing is considered spam and can result in the page being penalized or even banned from the search results. In addition to being unethical, keyword stuffing is counterproductive, as it often makes the page difficult to read and understand. For these reasons, keyword stuffing should be avoided by all means.

Pro tip: if you use Hemingway App or Grammarly Pro, these tools can help you spot keyword stuffing easier as they will color-label overused words.

Keyword stuffing can also lead to search engine penalties, a form of spamming. As a result, it is essential to avoid keyword stuffing when optimizing a website for search engines. This will not only help to improve your website's ranking, but it will also make it more likely to be visited and shared by users.

Content Spinning

Content spinning involves rewriting existing content to manipulate search engine rankings. The goal is to produce multiple versions of the same article, each with slightly different wording, to target different keywords and slightly alter it to avoid detection by search engine algorithms. Content spinning is highly automated, and the results are often barely legible. Nevertheless, it can effectively boost search engine traffic, at least in the short term. Content spinning is generally considered unethical and harmful, as it creates duplicate content that confuses search engines and readers.

Cloaking

Cloaking is a black hat SEO technique in which a website shows different content to humans and search engine crawlers. Cloaking aims to improve a website's ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) by offering search engine crawlers content optimized for specific keywords. However, this can be misleading to users, who may click on a result expecting to see one thing, but are instead taken to a page with different content.

This can be done for several reasons, including hiding low-quality content from Google or intentionally showing different content to humans and search engines. Cloaking can also serve users additional content based on their geographic location, browser type, or other factors.

As always, the best approach is to focus on creating high-quality content that will appeal to both users and search engines.

CTR Manipulation

CTR Manipulation is a black hat SEO technique that involves artificially inflating the click-through rate for a given website. This can be done by creating fake traffic, using bots to click on links, or paying people to click on ads. CTR Manipulation is an effective way to improve a website's ranking in search results, but it is also a highly unethical practice.

According to B2B SEO consultant Zach Grove, you should avoid CTR manipulation in search results.

“One black hat SEO tactic that I’d 100% avoid is manipulating organic click-thru-rate (CTR). This might involve paying folks to search on Google, skip over the competition in search results, and click only on your website.

Instead of manipulating CTR like this, I’d recommend split testing your page titles to boost CTRs the right way—so your page gets more clicks from actual users. Split testing your page titles is a white hat SEO technique that’s totally above board.”

Rich Snippet Markup Spam

Rich Snippet Markup Spam, also known as RSMS, is a black hat SEO tactic that involves manipulating Rich Snippets to improve a website's search engine rankings. Rich Snippets are the lines of text that appear under a website's listing in Google's search results, and they can provide valuable information about the site, such as its reviews and ratings.

The spammer adds code to the website that causes the search engine to display false or misleading information in the search results. This can include fake reviews, incorrect pricing information, or fake contact details. Rich Snippet Markup Spam is a serious problem because it can mislead consumers and damage the reputation of businesses.

(Image Source - Bruceclay)

Rich Snippet Markup Spam can be difficult to spot. Still, some common signs include a sudden increase in keywords on a page, an influx of new and irrelevant outbound links, and a general decline in the quality of the content on the page. Google and other search engines are constantly working to detect and remove Rich Snippet Markup Spam from their results, but it is difficult because the spammer can keep changing the code.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. The seven deadly sins of SEO. Now that you know what they are, be sure to avoid them like the plague! Black hat SEO tactics can get you quick wins, but they are risky and can hurt your website in the long run. Instead, focus on creating quality content that naturally contains relevant keywords. Have you ever used any of these tactics in your SEO strategy? If so, it’s time to stop and repent – before Google catches up with you and brings down the wrath of Panda or Penguin on your website.