The Internet has come a long way in the last decade when back in 2005 you could put up a blog and rank on the first page of Google within a few weeks.
All you had to do was insert your keywords (keyword stuffing) and submit your blog to a few directories and that was it.
In the year 2016, the search engines have evolved so much and techniques that used to work like a charm 10 years ago, are no longer relevant today.
In this article, I’ll be taking a detailed look at what White Hat and Black Hat SEO is, and showing you the difference between these 2 techniques.
I’ll also be going into detail and showing you which one of these techniques you should pursue to build a long term profitable business online.
There are so many different companies offering a variety of services that it can be impossible to cut through the noise and get accurate up to date information as to which one still works in 2016 and beyond.
What Is SEO
Before we get started, you may be wondering what SEO is and you may have some questions at this point.
I’ll clear up any confusion that you may have about this term and try my best to answer any questions that you may have about this to the best of my ability below.
You may have seen this word flung around but aren’t quite sure what it entails. SEO stands for search engine optimization and this is the process of optimizing your website for the search engines.
When done properly, you’ll learn how you can get ranked on the first page of Google and drive targeted organic visitors to your website.
These people will be searching for very specific information about the overall topic of your website so make sure that your content is highly relevant to the overall theme of your site.
This includes optimizing on-page SEO i.e. factors that you can control such as keywords, titles, tags, images etc. and off-page SEO which includes off-page signals like backlinks and social signals.
What Exactly Is Black Hat SEO?
This technique usually involves the use of software and takes an automated approach to rankings. I know that this may sound very enticing to newbies who are just getting started online and looking for a way to earn a quick buck.
Let me stop you right there before you end up doing something that could severely have a negative impact on your career as an online marketer and possibly demolish your chance of having any long term success in the online world.
What could possibly be soo bad that it would ruin my chances of any long term success online?
I’ll spill the beans on what all this entails below!!
This method of getting traffic and rankings usually involve participating in some pretty shady practices.
In some cases, this will involve committing plagiarism.
This will not only get you in trouble with Google, but you also run the risk of getting sued as well if you’re caught. This could also involve purchasing backlink packages or having a swarm of backlinks sent to your site for a one time fee.
Is it really worth it to cheat the system for short term success? Most people that are just starting out are misinformed about how Affiliate Marketing works and fall into this trap.
I have reviewed many Make Money Online Programs that are based on this exact method of earning some fast cash with little to no work involved and I have given each one of them a low score.
The thing with Black Hat SEO is you’re always looking over your shoulder, most web traffic originates from the search engines so imagine how nerve wracking it is to wait for the loophole you’re exploiting to close or the strategy you’re using to become obsolete?
Then you’re straight back to where you started. Why work against search engines when you can work with them and build a long term asset that isn’t going to be de-indexed from Google and other big search engines at a moments notice?
Companies will push the latest Black Hat SEO techniques but they fail to mention the downsides and the short term gain over long term gratification.
Have you ever heard the expression if it sounds too good to be true it probably is?
This especially holds true for Blackhat SEO and this is definitely not the path you want to embark on when you’re just getting started online.
If you’re the type of person who is only looking to make a quick buck and has no desire to build a profitable business for the long term then this method may serve you well.
What Is White Hat SEO
In case you haven’t figured this out yet, White Hat SEO is the exact opposite of Blackhat and your best option for long term success.
Instead of trying to cheat the system and leverage a loophole, you will be doing things the proper way and learning how to stay on the good side of Google.
The days of trying to slide under the big G’s radar and thinking you can outsmart the search engines are long gone.
As a matter of fact, Google just released Panda 4.0 on September 23.
This is their latest algorithm which was designed specifically to detect websites that are using any kind of software or doing anything unethical to attain rankings in the search engines.
As time goes on they are getting smarter by the day and are working around the clock to keep their algorithms up to date.
In order to do White Hat SEO effectively, there are two sides to cover which is on-page and off page SEO.
On-Page SEO- this includes everything you can control like keywords and titles. The key here is to pick low competition keywords, place your keyword in the title, tags and image alt and naturally throughout the rest of the article.
The key word here is natural as search engines are getting smarter at recognizing when you are simply writing your content for the search engines instead of writing for your audience.
What exactly do I mean by this?
Let me explain………
When writing content you need to have some kind of intention and Google has got pretty good at detecting this pretty quickly when sending their spiders out to crawl your website.
If your main intention is to help other people it will definitely show when you’re writing content.
How is it possible for them to tell this?
Simple!!
If you write thoroughly engaging content that speaks to your audience and you convey your message in a conversational tone it will shine through in your content.
This is the type of content that Google is looking for and they will reward you with higher rankings and more traffic.
If your main mission is to simply get ranked on page 1 and you have no interest in helping people out then you aren’t writing in a natural way.
If your content doesn’t speak to your audience or answer any of their questions then you are writing for the search engines and you will likely experience very few first page rankings.
Off-Page SEO- This term generally refers to things that are out of your control. This could be things like other web sites that link to you. This could also involve how many people share your content via social networks or by word of mouth.
Most people think that this is all about how many backlinks you have or how many quality sources are linking to your site but off-page SEO is a whole lot deeper than that.
Trust factor also plays a role in this and depending on your authority, brand, and reputation will determine how strong your off- page SEO signals will be.
The benefits you gain from applying White Hat SEO techniques to your blog are endless.
If you’re the type of person who would rather focus on building something great over time, instead of achieving short term and very limited success that is also very unpredictable, then it would be in your best interest to keep everything Whitehat.
Would You Rather Make Some Fast Cash Now Or Create A Business For The Long Term?
SEO is a pretty complex term and it would literally take me years to try and fully explain all that this process entails. There is really only 1 thing you need to ponder in order to become an expert at SEO and achieve maximum results with it.
What is that you may ask?
Avoid any kind of software programs that promise you instant gratification or involves doing anything that’s not natural.
The only way to maintain good rankings in the search engines and master the art of SEO is by keeping yourself updated on the latest SEO techniques that work today and will continue to work in the future.
The place that continues to amaze me and the place that has taught me everything I know about SEO is Wealthy Affiliate.
This is where I got my start in the online world and where I learned how to get ranked on the first page of Google for some really competitive keywords.
For the past 11 years, they have been helping everyday normal people like me and you learn more about the proper SEO practices and showing them how to create a profitable online business that will produce long term results.
If you’re a search engine marketer that is looking to stay on top of your SEO game and remain in the loop whenever Google releases a new algorithm update, I would highly recommend that you check WA out for yourself and see what they can do for you.
Also if you’re a newbie who is just getting started online and you would like to know the proper way to get established online, I think WA would also be an excellent fit for you.
Instead of trying to make some quick cash online, wouldn’t you rather learn how to create something great over time?
I really hope this post has given you guys some much-needed information on just how dangerous Blackhat SEO techniques really can be and why it’s so important to keep everything Whitehat.
Have you guys ever dabbled in any Blackhat SEO techniques before? How did that work out for you and what were the consequences for your actions?
I would love to hear all about it in the comments below. I would also love to answer any additional questions that you may have about this topic in the comments below.
Until Next Time
~Scott~
Jonas
This is very interesting, especially the point with on page SEO
A bit less than a year ago I bought links here (Links Removed) (I put it in the website field, not sure if that’s what that field is for?).
My rank increased a lot after, and it’s been a pretty great success actually but I’m really afraid that I might get punished by Google some day when they figure my dirty little secret out, do you guys have any suggestions for what I could do to “save my ass” in case they someday make an update to their algorithm that could tell that I bought links? Also are you familiar with this link provider or any other?
Scott Newkirk
Hi Jonas,
I had a chance to look over this site and from what I can tell it looks like this company is white hat so there shouldn’t be any worries. However, I have never been a fan of backlinks, but some people swear that you need them to get high rankings in Google.
I would never pay for backlinks or purchase any backlink packages because I feel this is a waste of money. I could create these naturally by writing quality content and getting other people in my niche to naturally link back to me. I’m glad to hear that you were able to benefit from this service and if your rankings haven’t suffered yet then there’s an 85% chance that you are safe.
Probably the best piece of advice I could give you concerning what to do in case Google detected that you purchased backlinks would be to get in touch with the company and kindly ask them to remove these links.
Also if you look in your Google search console you can see all the websites that are linking to you and you could personally contact them yourself and ask them to remove the links.
Google is always updating their strategies and developing software that can detect anything that’s not natural. If you are using a paid service or any kind of software to attain rankings chances are they will eventually detect it and demote your website from their search engines.
I have never heard of this company before Jonas and I’m glad that you’ve stopped by and shared your experience that you’ve had with everyone here today. I hope this has helped you out Jonas and answered your questions and please let me know if you have any other questions or need my help.
I do have several years of experience with SEO so please let me know if you need any further help with this.
I want to thank you for dropping by and sharing your experience with everyone here today Jonas.
It’s much appreciated!
~Scott~