What Is Blackhat?

"Blackhat" in its ... um ... classical sense has to do with unorthodox and agressive SEO tactics and the various methods to automate those tactics.

Some like to call anything unsavory or fraudulant as "blackhat", which will betray their unfamiliarity with -- and ignorance about SEO and its history over the past 12 years or so.

Hi Yves,

As far as I can tell, "white hat" means that everything is honest, straightforward, and exactly as it seems.

"Black hat" is anything less than that. Some people draw the line at "stretching the truth" so buyers "read between the lines." Some draw the line at making up stories that are inspired by the truth but not literally accurate, and some... seem to have no line.

The term comes from simplistic movies with the good guys wearing white hats, and the bad guys wearing black hats.

I recently questioned a post here at the Warrior Forum offering a "black hat" system. The software would invent fictional users and put their messages into a discussion forum. This would make the forum appear to have more users and traffic than it actually does. I was informed that my ignorance and simplicity was unsuitable to deserve an answer about why some people would like to sell through dishonesty.

So you should know that this answer is from an ignorant simpleton who's needlessly leaving money on the table by trying to tell the truth.

Regards,
Allen

P.S. I have both a conscience and a good night's sleep, so I'm staying on the "white hat" side myself.

Black hat is an unethical way of making money.

Initially it was a technique of manipulating search engine results, but as search engines evolved so did the term black hat.

Some people who don't know any better use it with illegal references, but truly black haters don't do illegal actions, only fast results, very agressive marketing techniques.

Although some people frown upon black hatters, even doing SEO it's by its definition black hat as you try to influence the search engine into bringing in visitors via an artificial way of inflating backlinks with the sole purpose of rising in SERP.

Blackhat marketing doesn't have to be illegal, or even unethical for that matter. Usually it is unethical though. I wouldn't say BH SEO techniques are unethical for example, but doing something like ewhoring would be. Usually it's very short term too.

Personally I'd consider myself a grey hat marketer, due to the fact that I'm an SEO... and there's no such thing as white hat SEO.

Blackhat involves methods that break the TOS of most websites. It doesn't have to do anything with "scamming". However, some blackhat techniques are considered as "illegal" and could get you a ban.(nothing big, like fines or jail time)

I am not a black hatter, but I'm not a complete white hatter either. I am in the middle of the road, a "grey hatter" .

There are many definitions of blackhat. Some people consider misdirection through CL ads to be blackhat. Others consider 'exploit' style methods to be very blackhat.

Everyone's definitions are different.