My rant on why everyone should have a basic understanding of what white, gray and black hat SEO can and should be used for.

So, every once in a while I get a comment or a cluster of comments (suspiciously from the same IP yet registered to different emails and domains, hmmm... how diabolical of you) where I get told I don't know what I am talking about or I am a black hat SEO and give black hat (I guess this is the code for "bad") advice. Let's set the record straight here. I am an active member of a number of black hat forums. I practice and experiment with all forms of SEO which includes black hat techniques. Why? Because in order to speak with any authority on the overall subject of SEO, shouldn't I know how to practice and apply each discipline within the study? You don't go to medical school and say "I will read the books but not cut the cadaver" or "I know this is about the whole body but I'm not interested in learning about the anus - I just don't feel right about it."

OK, back to the topic at hand. So, yeah, I know some black hat stuff. Could I make a living at it? Probably not, but I understand and can effectively use the principles to get a site to the top of the engines very quickly for valuable terms. Does that make me a "black hat?" In some people's eyes it may. Do I take offense to it? No. I consider it a compliment. When I get a comment asserting that I am a black hat, it indicates that the commenter recognized I had a knowledge base of more than just white hat SEO. So, while, the commenter more often than not cannot correctly identify black hat tactics, I still consider it a great compliment that they felt my knowledge base extended to things he is too "ethical" to study.

So, for you to understand what the various disciplines within the study of SEO are here is my explanation:

SEO techniques are classified by some into three broad categories:

White Hat:

Definition:

Search engine placement that results from completely natural built backlinks and optimized HTML. This is the Google approved version of SEO where you optimize your on page content and code then naturally and virally build backlinks.

Time line to results:

Depending on the competitiveness of your keyword, White Hat SEO can be a slow and laborious process. However if you want a site to stick around in the engines, you need to use these tactics.

Consequences:

WILL NOT GET YOU PENALIZED OR BANNED IN SEARCH RESULTS BUT CAN TAKE A LONG TIME TO SEE RESULTS

What types of sites to use this tactic on:

Sites that need to rank and stay ranked for long periods of time

Strategies:

Exact match domains, title tag optimization, meta data optimization, content richness, keyword density, HTML optimization, consistent, natural and viral backlink building, etc.

Gray Hat:

Definition:

That which is mostly white hat but may push the limits and is designed to aggressively seek backlinks - this mostly applies to off page SEO and the acquisition of backlinks - meaning, you are actively commenting for backlinks with keyword rich text, buying directory listings, reciprocating links with others, duplicating/syndicating content, etc. These tactics generally will not get you banned, but when used too aggressively can get you penalized, meaning they can cause some results dampening.

Time line to results:

Rankings can improve very quickly

Consequences:

MIGHT GET YOU PENALIZED OR BANNED IN SEARCH RESULTS IF USED TOO AGGRESSIVELY

What types of sites to use this tactic on:

There is always a fine line between white and gray hat and most "white" sites do use some gray strategies like link exchanging or blogrolling, so the same types of sites that would use white hat would also use gray hat.

Strategies:

keyword richness (bordering on spammy), moderate use of mirror sites or doorway pages, duplicate content, link purchases, aggressive link building, reciprocal link exchanges, etc.

Black Hat:

Definition:

Black Hat SEO (so often considered bad) has its place and purpose. Just because it's place and purpose might not be within the real estate sphere does not make it evil. So, let's explain it. Black Hat SEO works. It can get you to the top of the engines quickly for valuable keywords. You can make a lot of money using it and a lot of people do. The key to making this strategy work is to using the right tools, implementing the principles strategically and using them in moderation.

Time line to results:

Depending on the competitiveness of a keyword you can see results very very quickly. Sometimes within a day - for more competitive terms you can see placement within a few weeks.

Strategies: Computer generated content, blog farming, spamdexing, link buys, link exchanges, doorway pages, mirror sites, duplicated content, link dumping, trackback/comment spamming, etc.

Consequences:

MORE THAN LIKELY WILL EVENTUALLY GET YOU PENALIZED OR BANNED IN SEARCH RESULTS AND CAN CAUSE FULL SITE DEINDEXING

What types of sites to use this tactic on:

Not every product, business or website requires indefinite positioning on a search engine. For example, subscription based and time sensitive sites might not need to have indefinite placement.

Subscription Based Service Application

Let's say you want to build a subscription based service with a volume of repeat clients. So, you go after one of the most coveted terms on earth "Buy Viagra." To make money on this term you need to get to the top of the engines fast, stay there for a few months, build your clientele and just sit back and collect on the monthly recurring from your cache of repeat customers. It's not necessary for you to be on top forever- just long enough to build critical mass.

Time Sensitive Application

Not every website can wait to get that positioning - for example, if you had an event in one month and you started a website today - this site needs to rank for reasonably competitive terms very quickly in order for you to promote the event effectively online, what would you do? To get the word out online you need to get to the top of the engines fast and once the event is over- there is no reason to stay on top of the engines, so if the site gets penalized later, there is no real downside for you.

Could black hatting be used in real estate?

Possibly. One application that may work in real estate would be a single property site. In the current market, I wouldn't imagine this would be effective as homes sit on the market for a while, but in a seller's market, black hatting a SPS to the top might actually be beneficial. I would love to hear if anyone has ever tried this.

Strategies:

Reputation management, blog farming, computer generated content, doorway pages, mirror sites, excessive duplicate content, excessive link buying/trading, link farming campaigns, etc.

*Note: I have listed some of the strategies used within the various disciplines - there are plenty of others, but for the sake a time, I listed the most common. I specifically left out many black hat techniques related to competitive warfare and reputation management. Since these tactics can be used maliciously to sabotage a site, I do not recommend or use then in this industry and will not discuss them if asked, so don't bother emailing me about the topic. If you truly want to learn, join a forum. You can, however, email me for a list of favorite forums for this.

As you can see, white, gray, black hat SEO all have their purpose and applications - that does not mean any one of these is "evil." It just means that you need to know what each strategy can accomplish, what the consequences are and weigh that against the goal for the site.

Resource: Very Cool White, Gray and BlackHat SEO (one of whcih is so feakin' illegal, I am just itching to try it) secrets from SEOmoz's Give Up Whiteboard Friday.

Disclaimer:

Yes, I am fully aware some spaz will pick up this post and tell everyone I admitted to being a black hat. If you feel like this statement speaks to you, please, scurry back to your computer in your Mamma's basement and write your thesis/compendium/manifesto/third grade spelling test on How Mary McKnight has crippled the industry/given you, the ethically ignorant SEO a bad name/made that butterfly flap it's wings and caused the tsunami that gave 5 babies feline leukemia. Don't rush, take your time, think it out. I wait for crazy.

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