The majority of
digital marketers
consider search engine optimization (SEO) to be the most effective digital marketing method they use. When done right, SEO can generate tons of free organic traffic that skyrockets leads and sales.
There are two ways to do SEO: white hat and black hat. White hat SEO involves following Google’s search engine guidelines to increase web page rankings. Black Hat SEO is the search for loopholes in the Google
Google’s algorithm
algorithm, then exploiting them to improve search engine rankings. Although both focus on increasing organic traffic, there are major differences between the two. The last thing you want to do is get on Google’ s bad side and have them penalize your site.
We’ll explain why White Hat SEO is the preferred way to improve search engine rankings for higher organic traffic.
What is White Hat SEO?
What is White Hat SEO?
White hat SEO is the term that has been coined to describe SEO strategies that fall within the guidelines of the major
search engines
such as Google. These strategies will improve web page rankings without resorting to shady tactics that exploit search engine algorithms. The aim of White Hat SEO is to provide quality, relevant and optimized content.
White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO
Ultimately, every company wants access to that coveted first page of search results for a given keyword. Google is the search engine on which SEO strategies focus, as 86% of people use it for their online searches.
As mentioned above, there’s a difference between white hat and black hat SEO. Here are a few points to understand, so that you have a clear idea of the difference between these SEO strategies:
White hat SEO uses popular keywords in its niche that are surrounded by useful and interesting content to generate traffic.
Black hat SEO focuses on producing mediocre content that is often copied from other websites.
White hat SEO takes advantage of alternative text for images and thoughtful use of keywords in content.
Black hat spams content with keywords and even makes text invisible.
White hat SEO involves a fair amount of time spent on keyword research.
Black hat SEO uses and abuses a keyword, stuffing it wherever it can.
White hat SEO follows all the guidelines issued by search engines like Google. Genuine link-building strategies, such as guest posting, are used.
Black Hat SEO involves buying links.
We know that “black hat SEO ” sounds very sinister. However, there is some overlap. The main problem is that black hat SEO creates content with search engines in mind, not real people. You’ll want to avoid black hat SEO so as not to be penalized and see your search engine rankings drop.
Popular White Hat SEO strategies
You want your company to have a good reputation, don’t you? Well, you’ll have to stick to black hat SEO in this case. Sure, it may take a while, but your results will be more lasting. To give you an idea of what will be helpful in getting your content ranked higher in search results, here are some of the most popular white hat SEO strategies used today:
Creating valuable content
You want to create content with people in mind. This means creating interesting and informative content. Your goal is to deliver value. A blog is the best way to get more leads from organic traffic. Creating content relevant to the keywords you’re using will increase the likelihood of your website visitors sticking around.
Satisfactory user intent
People want to see content directly related to what they type into a search engine. User intent means understanding what people are looking for and providing it. This means optimizing your site’s content to match the keywords people use to search for something, as well as providing content that links to them.
Good white hat SEO involves a host of on-page optimizations, such as the use of subheadings, bullet points, relevant images and videos, etc.
Mobile optimization
Today, most Internet traffic comes from mobile devices. This means that if your website isn’t “responsive” and mobile-friendly, you’ll see a high bounce rate. This is when someone visits your site but quickly leaves. Your website needs to look as good on a smartphone as it does on a desktop computer.
When to use White Hat SEO
Depending on the sector in which your company operates, you’ll need either a White Hat or Black Hat SEO strategy. It’s also possible that you’re in an industry where a hybrid of the two works best, what has come to be known as the gray hat strategy.
We can only recommend full SEO. Indeed, the risk of being penalized by the leading
search engine
Google, is far too great. Google has a highly advanced algorithm that is becoming increasingly intelligent.
What works as a black hat tactic today can be discovered tomorrow, causing your website to fall in the search results. If you want your business to thrive online, you’ll need to stick solely to using
SEO
White Hat SEO.
Conclusion
Now that you know why White Hat SEO is the trendy way to increase search engine rankings, you can start optimizing your site’s content. The white hat strategies we shared earlier will help you increase the placement of your site’s content without fear of being penalized for using them. Of course, this takes time and effort.
Ultimately, however, you don’t have to worry about your business taking a hit because of their use. If you want your company to have a long-term presence that’s seen as trustworthy and valuable, then white hat SEO is the way to go. Contact Koantic Semantic to find out more about SEO.
