As SEO marketers we are constantly bombarded with messages about Black Hat SEO. We are all too familiar with these unethical SEO strategies that make up this type of SEO such has keyword stuffing, invisible text, doorway pages and more.
In the SEO world we are often advised against Black Hat SEO tactics, but often times it seems as if White Hat SEO is less talked about, when the majority of businesses and marketers are using this type of SEO. This post attempts to highlight White Hat SEO, its tactics and why it is important and beneficial to stick with this type of SEO even if it takes longer to see results.
White Hat SEO refers to the use of SEO strategies and techniques that focus on the audience rather than strictly on search engines, this type of SEO also follows ethical search engine rules and policies.
There are several tactics used in white hat SEO they include but not limited to; using keyword research & keyword analysis, backlinking, in order to improve link exposure and popularity, as well as creating content for users. Now let’s highlight how these different techniques are used and what they mean.
Keyword Research/Keyword Analysis: While this can be time consuming, it is very much important and can provide insight about your targeted audience. Keyword research and analysis helps you identify which keywords your targeted audience are searching for when they type a search into Google or any other search engine. Ranking the right keywords is a major factor in determining where your website ranks in search engines. Having the right keywords can often make or break your website.
Backlinking: This tactic refers to the links that come from other websites, web pages, etc. back to your website. The more backlinks your website has the more popular it will appear to search engines, thus driving your SEO strategy. Backlinking improves link popularity and exposure.
Creating Content: The process of creating quality, interesting content for users who visit your site. The more content-rich your site is , the more valuable it will appear to Google and other search engines.
The majority of SEO marketers focus on White Hat SEO as the means to drive traffic to their website, and ultimately increase ROI. White Hat SEO has known to be a proven strategy that is dominantly used by those marketers who want to make a long term investment in SEO strategy.
White Hat SEO does involve more work and effort than Black Hat SEO, but the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term costs. If you want to be an ethical marketer and build credibility in your industry, White Hat SEO should be your policy.