Search Engine Optimization Etiquette
Posted 4th December 2009 at 04:50 PM by Emmanuel Mba
Tags search engine, seo
Common or proper etiquette not only exists and is required in the real world. Even the cyber world has etiquette issues. Case in point would be related to search engine optimization. With a myriad of tips and strategies available out there utilized to optimize a website, there are those that are deemed as acceptable and those that are seen as cheating. Good practices are called white hat SEO while frowned at techniques are known as black hat SEO.
Black hat SEO
The term black hat was coined or rather inspired by western-themed movies where villains or the bad guys usually wear black hats while the good guys don white or light colored hats. In computing terminology, a black hat was initially meant for hackers who engage in unauthorized penetration into systems and to those who create malicious wares such as computer viruses, wurms and Trojan horses. Nowadays, black hat is also used to categorize search engine optimization techniques that are considered unethical.
An example of these black hat SEO techniques are keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing is done by placing repetitive words or phrases in the web content, sometimes naked to the eye but usually hidden from the surfer’s view, even if such words are in no way related to the primary web content. These words may be hidden behind the background of the website or somewhere far away from the view of the surfer. This is unethical because it sends false information not only to the automated search engines but to the potential viewers as well.
White hat SEO
There really are no clear set rules or guidelines whether your search engine optimization practice is white hat or black hat. To be white hat, you just have to make sure that the content in your site is what you really say it is. The keywords you post in the Meta tags are what they really are and you do not over repeat the same words. Another white hat SEO practice is not engaging in the pathetic and desperate act of over-submitting your page to the date banks of search engines.
The in between
The world as we know it cannot be strictly categorized into strictly whites and strictly blacks. So is the case in the cyber world. There are SEO practices that are neither purely white hat SEO nor black hat SEO. They are rather said to be grey hat search engine optimization practices. An example of the a grey hat SEO practice is when a site owner subscribes to an online magazine that would allow him to link his site to the magazine as an advertised subscriber. At first glance, it is harmless and not entirely deceptive. It only becomes a grey hat practice because it has been widely accepted that purchasing links, which is what essentially happens in online subscriptions, is seen as a black hat SEO practice.
When engaging in search engine optimization strategies, try to stick with the white hat techniques. There are still risks with grey hats especially when that shade of grey your site is wearing is closer to becoming black. The technique is to publish your website with the intention of serving the best interests of the viewers and not to recklessly aim to be on top of the search results list.
Black hat SEO
The term black hat was coined or rather inspired by western-themed movies where villains or the bad guys usually wear black hats while the good guys don white or light colored hats. In computing terminology, a black hat was initially meant for hackers who engage in unauthorized penetration into systems and to those who create malicious wares such as computer viruses, wurms and Trojan horses. Nowadays, black hat is also used to categorize search engine optimization techniques that are considered unethical.
An example of these black hat SEO techniques are keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing is done by placing repetitive words or phrases in the web content, sometimes naked to the eye but usually hidden from the surfer’s view, even if such words are in no way related to the primary web content. These words may be hidden behind the background of the website or somewhere far away from the view of the surfer. This is unethical because it sends false information not only to the automated search engines but to the potential viewers as well.
White hat SEO
There really are no clear set rules or guidelines whether your search engine optimization practice is white hat or black hat. To be white hat, you just have to make sure that the content in your site is what you really say it is. The keywords you post in the Meta tags are what they really are and you do not over repeat the same words. Another white hat SEO practice is not engaging in the pathetic and desperate act of over-submitting your page to the date banks of search engines.
The in between
The world as we know it cannot be strictly categorized into strictly whites and strictly blacks. So is the case in the cyber world. There are SEO practices that are neither purely white hat SEO nor black hat SEO. They are rather said to be grey hat search engine optimization practices. An example of the a grey hat SEO practice is when a site owner subscribes to an online magazine that would allow him to link his site to the magazine as an advertised subscriber. At first glance, it is harmless and not entirely deceptive. It only becomes a grey hat practice because it has been widely accepted that purchasing links, which is what essentially happens in online subscriptions, is seen as a black hat SEO practice.
When engaging in search engine optimization strategies, try to stick with the white hat techniques. There are still risks with grey hats especially when that shade of grey your site is wearing is closer to becoming black. The technique is to publish your website with the intention of serving the best interests of the viewers and not to recklessly aim to be on top of the search results list.
Total Comments 0
