Black Hat SEO

The internet is immense and very engaging. According to PEW Research Center for Internet & American Life Projects’ September 2009 survey of Internet User Demographics, 77 percent of total adults use the internet, and 73 percent of American adult internet users use the internet on a daily basis. It is quite baffling to think the amount of people surfing the web every day, and how many of them who are up to no good.

As of today, there are only 16 shopping days left for Christmas, and if you are ordering online, that window is much narrower. As the Internet’s popularity for holiday shopping increases, so does the risk of getting taken advantage of identity theft. Cyber criminals are growing more successful at stealing people’s identities by setting up fake websites to scam millions from unsuspecting online shoppers. Don't be one of them. Read more »

In the world of Search Engine Optimization, just as there are in any industry, you have a wide range of morality and ethics being practiced by firms competing for your dollars. But in the world of SEO, we have terminology that encompasses this spectrum of do-gooders and evil-goers. The SEO firms that follow the rules, mind their P’s and Q’s, and will get your site ranked the legal way, are referred to as “White Hat” SEO firms. Think Gandalf, angel wings and The White Album. SEO firms that are manipulating Google with keyword stuffing, paid links, and invisible text are referred to as “Black Hat” SEO and implement practices that are highly frowned upon by the Google gods. Think Darth Vader, Worm Tongue, and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Why are black hat SEO firms still in business? They are deceptive and use lies to ensnare your budget in their death grip. Here are three lies that black hats will use to win your business. Read more »

In the world of Search Engine Optimization, just as there are in any industry, you have a wide range of morality and ethics being practiced by firms competing for your dollars. But in the world of SEO, we have terminology that encompasses this spectrum of do-gooders and evil-goers. The SEO firms that follow the rules, mind their P’s and Q’s, and will get your site ranked the legal way, are referred to as “White Hat” SEO firms. Think Gandalf, angel wings and The White Album. SEO firms that are manipulating Google with keyword stuffing, paid links, and invisible text are referred to as “Black Hat” SEO and implement practices that are highly frowned upon by the Google gods. Think Darth Vader, Worm Tongue, and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Why are black hat SEO firms still in business? They are deceptive and use lies to ensnare your budget in their death grip. Here are three lies that black hats will use to win your business. Read more »

When it comes to SEO practices, you want to be as ethical as possible. You also want to rank as high as you can. Sometimes referred to as “search engine spamming”, black hat SEO techniques attempt to exploit the search engine rankings with keyword stuffing, illegal link building, and spam.

Although there is no concrete definition for “black hat SEO”, it is generally understood to be anything that would be considered an unethical practice of SEO. Funny thing is, ethics can be subjective, making black hat subjective. This results in the thought that there are varying shades of “hats” that exist. It is important to always use ethical practices. Read more »

Internet security company and anti-virus software provider, Trend Micro, has sent a warning to users of Google Video that up to 400,000 search queries have been poisoned with irrelevant content by hackers that leads to malware virus sites. It is commonly acknowledged that the hackers are deliberately targeting Google’s reputation as a virus-free search engine. Hackers are using ‘black hat’ SEO tactics to artificially raise the profile of certain videos on Google Video. Once the video has been clicked, the site with the targeted video then redirects the users to install a new Flash Player which is supposedly required to play the video. Read more »

Search Engine Optimization has grown into a popular and strategically wise investment for any company looking for ROI, analytical substance and qualitative data. In fact, so many SEO companies have been popping up this last year, you would have thought some yelled ‘GOLD!’ Everyone wants a piece of this digital Gold Rush, but there are many companies who provide SEO service without the necessary research. These companies participate in “Black Hat” SEO and use methods and tricks to fulfill your problem temporarily. Sure, these companies can get you in Google in one month just like they promised, but three months down the line you may be banned. It doesn’t take long for the search engines to see through these techniques and give you the boot. Three months on the front page will not give you the ROI an honest SEO campaign can do for your business that will last the life span of your website. Read more »