Are you looking for Black Hat SEO techniques?- I have done a little research and listed all main actions you should not take in order to stay safe. Also you will see a list of real companies that were caught breaking the rules.
Table of Contents:
What is Black Hat SEO?
Black hat SEO refers to unethical techniques used to improve a website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). These techniques violate search engine guidelines and are designed to manipulate search engine algorithms in a way that results in higher rankings, often at the expense of user experience.
Black Hat SEO techniques
Here is a list of black hat SEO techniques, some used in the past and some are used to this day. Everyone in blogging, marketing and SEO must know what to avoid.
Keyword stuffing– Repeating keywords unnaturally in your content, meta tags, or hidden on the page in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings.
Doorway pages– Creating multiple pages that are optimized for specific keywords and redirect users to the same page.
Duplicate content– Copying content from other websites and using it on your own website.
Article spinning– Using software to rewrite existing articles to create new content, often resulting in low-quality content that is difficult to read.
Negative SEO– Using black hat techniques to harm a competitor’s search engine rankings, such as building spammy links to their site or using negative reviews.
Clickbaiting– Using sensational or misleading headlines to attract clicks to a website, often resulting in a high bounce rate and low user engagement.
Comment spamming– Posting spammy or irrelevant comments on blogs or forums with the purpose of including links back to your own site.
Page hijacking– Creating a duplicate page of another website and replacing the original content with your own, often resulting in copyright infringement and legal consequences.
Invisible text– Using white text on a white background or other techniques to make text invisible to the user but visible to search engines.
Content automation– Using software to automatically generate content, resulting in low-quality and irrelevant content that can harm user experience and search engine rankings.
Doorway domains– Creating multiple domains with similar content in order to manipulate search engine rankings, often resulting in a poor user experience and decreased credibility.
Bait-and-switch– Promising one thing in the search results, but delivering something completely different on the actual page.
Duplicate site– Creating multiple websites with the same content to try to rank for multiple keywords, which can harm user experience and search engine rankings.
Hidden links– Placing links on a page that are hidden from users, such as by using a small font or the same color as the background, but can be read by search engines.
Scraping content– Copying content from other websites and using it on your own site without permission.
Referrer spam– Using fake traffic to manipulate website analytics and appear to be a legitimate referral source.
Keyword cannibalization– Targeting the same keyword or phrase across multiple pages on a website, which can confuse search engines and harm search engine rankings.
Content cloaking– Presenting different content to search engine bots and human visitors in order to manipulate search engine rankings.
Page swapping– Creating a high-quality page with good rankings and then swapping the content with a low-quality page or affiliate link in order to manipulate search engine rankings or get more commissions.
Click-through rate (CTR) manipulation– Using bots or other methods to artificially inflate CTR on search engine results pages (SERPs), which can harm search engine rankings and damage credibility.
Cookie stuffing– Using cookies to track users and artificially inflate affiliate commissions, which is a violation of affiliate program policies and can harm search engine rankings.
Sneaky redirects– Using redirects to send users to a different page than the one they clicked on, often to a page with low-quality or irrelevant content.
Paid links– Paying for links to your website in order to manipulate search engine rankings, which violates Google’s guidelines.
Automated queries– Using automated software to send a large number of queries to search engines, which can harm search engine performance and result in penalties.
Fake reviews– Creating fake positive reviews of a product or service in order to improve search engine rankings or deceive users.
Keyword hijacking– Targeting popular keywords by creating low-quality pages that contain those keywords in order to rank for them.
Guest post spamming– Creating low-quality guest posts with the sole purpose of including links back to your own site, often with little or no value to the host site or its users.
Domain hijacking– Stealing a domain name from its rightful owner in order to use its existing backlinks and traffic to manipulate search engine rankings.
PBNs (Private Blog Networks)– Creating networks of low-quality websites with the sole purpose of linking to your own site in order to manipulate search engine rankings.
Referrer spamming– Sending fake referral traffic to a website in order to manipulate website analytics and search engine rankings.
Link buying– Paying for links from other websites in order to manipulate search engine rankings, which violates Google’s guidelines.
Article directories– Submitting low-quality articles to article directories with the sole purpose of including links back to your own site in order to manipulate search engine rankings.
Click farms– Using click farms to artificially inflate website traffic, which can harm search engine rankings and damage credibility.
Social media spamming– Creating fake social media accounts or using bots to post spammy content and links in order to manipulate search engine rankings.
Spammy anchor text– Using irrelevant or low-quality anchor text in order to manipulate search engine rankings, which can harm website credibility and user experience.
Domain squatting– Registering domains with popular or trademarked names in order to profit from them, often by redirecting them to other sites or selling them at a premium.
Manipulative interstitials– Using interstitials or pop-ups to manipulate users into clicking on links or subscribing to email lists, which can harm user experience and lead to search engine penalties.
Automated content creation– Using software or bots to create large volumes of low-quality content in order to manipulate search engine rankings.
Domain flipping– Buying and selling domains with the sole purpose of making a profit, often by exploiting their existing backlinks and traffic.
Paid traffic schemes– Manipulating website traffic by using fake or paid traffic, often with the purpose of generating ad revenue or manipulating search engine rankings.
Rich snippet spamming– Marking up content on a website with rich snippets or structured data in a deceptive or spammy way, in order to manipulate search engine rankings or deceive users.
Remember that using black hat SEO techniques can lead to serious consequences, including getting your website penalized or even banned from search engines. It’s always best to use ethical and white-hat SEO strategies to achieve long-term success.
How to report websites to Google?
If you come across a website that is using Black Hat SEO techniques and violating Google guidelines, you can report it to Google using the following steps:
- Visit the Google Webspam Report page: Go to spamreport and sign in with your Google account.
- Enter the URL of the website: Enter the URL of the website that you want to report.
- Select the type of spam: Select the type of spam that you are reporting, such as “User-generated spam” or “Unnatural links to your site.”
- Provide additional details: Provide any additional details that you have about the spam, such as specific URLs or pages where you have seen the spam.
- Submit the report: Click on the “Submit Report” button to submit your report to Google.
Google will review your report and take appropriate action if they find that the website is violating their guidelines. While reporting Black Hat SEO techniques can help to improve the quality of search results, it is important to only report spam that you have personally encountered and that violates Google’s guidelines. False reports can harm innocent websites and should be avoided.
Black Hat SEO examples
Several high authority websites caught using Black Hat SEO techniques and were penalized by search engines:
BMW
In 2006, BMW penalized by Google for using doorway pages to boost its search engine rankings. Google bots crawled term “used cars” 40 times, however visitors saw unique content. As a result, BMW’s website was removed from Google’s search results for several days.
Forbes
In 2014, Forbes, a well-known business magazine, penalized by Google for using paid links to boost its search engine rankings. Forbes had published an article that included links to a website that paid for the placement. These links violated Google’s guidelines, and as a result, Forbes’ website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Mozilla
In 2013, Mozilla penalized by Google for using user-generated spam to manipulate its search engine rankings. Mozilla had encouraged users to create and post spammy links in blog comments and forums, which violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, Mozilla’s website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
The Home Depot
In 2013, The Home Depot penalized by Google for using hidden text to manipulate its search engine rankings. The Home Depot had used hidden text on its website, which included keywords that it wanted to rank for in search results. This violated Google’s guidelines and as a result, The Home Depot’s website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Overstock.com
In 2011, Overstock.com penalized by Google for using discounts to incentivize links to its website. Overstock had offered discounts to universities and other organizations in exchange for links to its website, which violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, Overstock’s website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Rap Genius
In 2013, Rap Genius penalized by Google for using unnatural links to boost its search engine rankings. Rap Genius had asked bloggers to link to its website in exchange for exposure on its social media accounts. This violated Google’s guidelines, which prohibit the use of unnatural links to manipulate search rankings. As a result, Rap Genius’s website was removed from Google’s search results for several days.
J.C. Penney
In 2011, J.C. Penney penalized by Google for using paid links to boost its search engine rankings. The company had paid for links on hundreds of websites, which violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, J.C. Penney’s website was removed from Google’s search results for several months.
Expedia
In 2013, Expedia penalized by Google for using unnatural links to boost its search engine rankings. Expedia had participated in a paid linking scheme that violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, Expedia’s website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Interflora
In 2013, Interflora penalized by Google for using advertorials to manipulate its search engine rankings. Interflora had paid for advertorials on several UK newspaper websites that included links back to its own website. These links violated Google’s guidelines and as a result, Interflora’s website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Oversee.net
In 2010, Oversee.net penalized by Google for using paid links to manipulate its search engine rankings. Oversee.net had paid for links on several websites, which violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, Oversee.net’s website was removed from Google’s search results for several weeks.
Anglo Rank
In 2013, Anglo Rank, a private blog network, penalized by Google for selling links to manipulate search engine rankings. Anglo Rank had sold links to several websites, which violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, the websites that had bought links from Anglo Rank were penalized and their search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Halcyon Dreams
In 2013, Halcyon Dreams, a UK-based bedding company, penalized by Google for using spammy links to manipulate its search engine rankings. Halcyon Dreams had created a large number of low-quality links that violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, Halcyon Dreams’ website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Thumbtack
In 2015, Thumbtack, a US-based local services marketplace, penalized by Google for using doorway pages to manipulate its search engine rankings. Thumbtack had created a large number of doorway pages that were designed to rank well in search results, but provided little value to users. As a result, Thumbtack’s website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
MyBlogGuest
In 2014, MyBlogGuest, a guest blogging network, penalized by Google for facilitating the creation of spammy links. MyBlogGuest had allowed users to exchange guest blog posts that included links back to their own websites. These links violated Google’s guidelines, and as a result, MyBlogGuest’s website was penalized and its search engine rankings dropped significantly.
BuildMyRank
In 2012, BuildMyRank, a private blog network, penalized by Google for selling links to manipulate search engine rankings. BuildMyRank had sold links to several websites, which violated Google’s guidelines. As a result, the websites that had bought links from BuildMyRank were penalized and their search engine rankings dropped significantly.
Mostly there are two Google updates associated with all authority websites. Google panda– released in 2011, looking for thin and low-quality content. Google penguin– released in 2012, looking for websites which use link building to achieve better SERP results.
Wrapping up
The game between Google and SEO’s will never ends. That’s because everyone wants to rank high to get more traffic, sales and search engine wants to show best results for query and give best use experience.
