White Hat SEO is for the birds!

Lets face it, if you are a business owner and have email, you have been spammed by marketers.  Spam is what gives SEO's a bad name.  I love helping people earn their spot within the search engines, its a great feeling to see your hard work pay off.   But there are those that don't take the same mindset as me.

For those that don't know White, Gray and Black Hat SEO labels are defined by the specific techniques a person uses to get a site to rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPS).  Most people don't know but the search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing have particular guidelines to keep everyone on the same playing field. 

But as we all know that is not the case

White Hat SEO is for the birds!

I hear this time and again from clients, “I just need SEO for my website”.  Most site owners have a general perspective of optimization but VERY few know what all goes into making this happen.  They know they want to be at the top of the 1^st page of the Google rankings.

9 times out of 10, they don't even know half of what it takes to get there.

With the accessibility of YouTube, blog forums, social media, etc it is not hard to get lost in all the how to’s, DIY’s, bad techniques and get rich quick schemes.   It is hard for a business owner to not get caught up in promotions and the euphoria of thinking “If I do SEO like this I will be #1 in Google”. 

Black Hat techniques are very tempting and often provide quick results.  “Who cares if I break the Google’s rules but I am still at #1?”  While White Hat techniques arguably take a longer time to show results.  What’s the harm?

You Shall Not Pass

Okay I couldn't help it, sorry!

The trade off being that you can get heavily punished or worse BANNED (de-indexed as it is referred to) by the search engines for the use of unethical practices.  Search Engines evolve and develop updates to combat Black Hat tactics like Google’s Panda and Penguin updates which means eventually your tactics and practices will be found and punished.

As a business owner you need to ask yourself :

“Do I want my company BANNED by one of the, if not THE most powerful influencers on the web?”

There is the Gray Hat route, some of the techniques used are White Hat tactics and some are Black Hat.  But non the less, those Black hat tactics will ultimately lead you to heart break and frustration.  Unfortunately, people getting into the field of ranking website see these easy ways to rank and think it is common practice and an effective way to get a site ranked.  This makes it hard for the industry to get a better rap than it does. Again with all the technology, software programs, and easy references on the web it is hard for a business owner to disseminate quality techniques from crap.

Protect Yourself and Your Business

SEO is not easy, it takes strategy and creativity, and in highly competitive markets A LOT of creativity.  But if you want to invest in the longevity of your business/website, White Hat tactics are 100% the way to invest.  No matter what update the search engines throw at the internet, your business will be prepared because those White Hat tactics are organic and authentic.

Black Hat techniques come and go like get rich quick schemes, but White Hat techniques are hear to stay.

Here are some ways to protect your business and to keep in mind as a business owner:

• Have your SEO provider give you details on how they operate, if they don't, you might want to find a new provider.
• Be patient, if you are in a competitive market and your provider is using White Hat tactics, results don't come over night.  But once you get there, it is well worth it.
• Do your research, here are great articles to reference
  Trevan Alexander : 17 Black Hat SEO Techniques to Avoid
  Rand Fishkin :  White Hat SEO: It F@$#ing Works