What is White Hat SEO?

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by narayanan, Aug 27, 2008.

  1. narayanan

    narayanan Peon

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    #21
    Hi all,
    Thanks for your valuable informations.
     
    narayanan, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  2. franchises

    franchises Banned

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    #22
    White Hat techniques are ethical and follow the search engines standard practices.
     
    franchises, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  3. genuineseo

    genuineseo Well-Known Member

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    #23
    White Hat techniques are ethical and follow the search engines standard practices.
    Black Hat techniques are hidden text and links, bait and switch methods.
     
    genuineseo, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  4. jingwen

    jingwen Peon

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    #24
    jingwen, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  5. purdue512

    purdue512 Well-Known Member

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    #25
    The entire discussion of white hat seo vs black hat seo is confusing to say the least. I appreciate your question and have been devoting considerable time and effort to figuring it out myself... From a review of over 50 web sites, the Google guidelines on white hat seo and the wiki page on white hat seo, it seems that there is clearly no agreement on the subtle points. Yes, it is clear that things like auto-redirects, cookie stuffing, referral manipulation, etc are not white hat seo. Those are easy.

    Where white hat seo gets complicated is around link building. On the one hand, in the Google guidelines under how to pick an SEO consultant, they say that it will be beneficial for your site to be registered, listed and linked from appropriate directories. How very strange, as we all think of directory link-building as in the gray area.

    Google also says that you should not run multiple web sites with "substantially duplicate content." So, they are not saying that you can't run several web sites on the same topic, which would be unreasonable. Most corporations seek multiple outlets for their products. But they are saying they have to be at least someone different and unique. Again, gray.

    In sum, I think this entire industry of search engine optimization is so young (maybe 4 years old in terms of real revenue spent on it?) that the real definition of white hat seo has not yet been crystallized. This is what happens in every new industry. For a while, there is confusion and fear as the community works it's way toward commonly accepted definitions. I don't know what they ultimate definition of white hat seo will be, I just know for sure we don't yet have a common one that everybody understands...

    Hope this helps. Please don't flame me if you disagree.
     
    purdue512, Sep 7, 2008 IP
  6. nipit007

    nipit007 Member

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    #26
    White hat is following most sites terms of service

    Blackhat breaks the rules but is not against the law.

    It can get you banned though...Not good
     
    nipit007, Sep 7, 2008 IP
  7. ericb

    ericb Member

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    #27
    Hi, white hat SEO is a name given for using search engine optimization techniques that are within the guidelines stated by search engines for optimizing websites. On the other hand, black hat SEO is the use of techniques that fall outside the guidelines stated by search engines for optimizing websites.

    Many people offer ideas as far as what is ethical or unethical and what is okay to do related to optimizing websites; however, the search engines are the only sources that count because they have the final word and of couse it is their search engines. So when in doubt; follow the guidelines provided by the search engines when conducting search engine optimization and you will not go wrong.
     
    ericb, Sep 7, 2008 IP
  8. purdue512

    purdue512 Well-Known Member

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    #28

    Not trying to be harsh here - I know there is just so much confusion around white hat SEO... But if I could follow-up with a few questions:

    1) Why is it that the search engines are defining white hat SEO and back hat SEO? We are talking about the ethics of advertising on the Internet. The search engines are just companies (for-profit) that work on the Internet just like the rest of us. Believe me, I spend hours with their guidelines as I like to understand and respect them. But I wonder, exactly, why they should be in a position to define white hat SEO...

    2) It seems to me that many of the TOS of these search engines are quite vague. After an hour with one of them I still have many questions as to what you can and can't (according to them) do.
     
    purdue512, Sep 8, 2008 IP
  9. seo optimization

    seo optimization Banned

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    #29
    Following Google guidelines is White hat/Ethical, breaking of the guidelines is black hat.
     
    seo optimization, Sep 8, 2008 IP
  10. seoprovider

    seoprovider Guest

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    #30
    yes definitely you do everything manually then only your SERP will improve don't go for any third party tools....
     
    seoprovider, Sep 8, 2008 IP
  11. john4BWO

    john4BWO Active Member

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    #31
    hello

    white hat SEO tactics include :

    1. Internal linking

    2. Content creation

    3.Reciprocal linking

    4. Site Optimization
     
    john4BWO, Sep 8, 2008 IP
  12. Australianfranchises

    Australianfranchises Peon

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    #32
    you using the proper techniques to got the favor of search engine rankings.
     
    Australianfranchises, Sep 8, 2008 IP
  13. morph07

    morph07 Peon

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    #33
    I recommend White hat SEO, because it is the right way to optimize a site and it is supported by the SE..:)
     
    morph07, Sep 9, 2008 IP
  14. Rituja

    Rituja Peon

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    #34
    White Hat SEO:-
    This type of SEO is Called Google Organic SEO, That means you did all seo works manually like....
    Link Exchange, Directory Submission, Article Submission, etc....
    White HAT SEO Tactics is always Good for OUR WEBSITES

    Black Hat SEO:-
    This type of SEO is always bad for our site.....
    But you got more traffic in 1month from black Hat SEO, That is not good for website...
    I mean Google will Bann your site in future


    You can continue with White Hat
     
    Rituja, Sep 9, 2008 IP
  15. joshsteve4

    joshsteve4 Peon

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    #35
    Black Hat is illegal way of optimizing while White hat is of course the opposite.
     
    joshsteve4, Sep 9, 2008 IP
  16. graphseo

    graphseo Banned

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    #36
    Yeah agreed ... you should always tread in the "Blurhat SEO" waters.....
     
    graphseo, Sep 9, 2008 IP
  17. purdue512

    purdue512 Well-Known Member

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    #37
    Very interesting stuff folks.. Thanks for all the contributions.. I think this illustrates my point quite clearly, there really is no single definition of white hat SEO.

    Just take a look at all the above responses. They range from "it's illegal" to "do it just a little and you'll be okay." How interesting.

    First off - I know of no laws against this stuff. There are certainly laws against email spam. There are also laws against certain computer piracy and destruction tactics (typically considered HACKING, not even close to white hat SEO). But I know of no laws around link building, directory submission, etc. That would just be silly...

    And check this out - Matt Cutts was recently saying that widgets can even be spam. So now widgets are not white hat seo? Again - Where does this stop. We need some general agreement an guidelines on this issue. And in my opinion that can't come from for-profit search engines. Will they be impartial?
     
    purdue512, Sep 9, 2008 IP
  18. lipsigprice333

    lipsigprice333 Banned

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    #38
    White Hat seo techniques-

    Directory
    Search Engine
    Classified
    Social Bookmarking
    Blog
    Forum Posting
    Article
    Press Release
     
    lipsigprice333, Sep 9, 2008 IP
  19. purdue512

    purdue512 Well-Known Member

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    #39
    Okay --- Take the post above mine for example... (thanks for your contribution - this is in no way a dig on you... :D )

    I noticed that you list "blog" on your list of white hat SEO methods.

    However, most people would agree that if I ran out and built 1,000 blogs with essentially the same stuff on them that would NOT be considered white hat seo. Do you agree? If so... Where is the line? I've read in some places that less than 100 blogs is okay, but more is not. Why? Others say 1 blog per person. But I know that there are many people out there building thousands. I see them in my directory sites every day...

    Again - Where is the line? Where is the real definition of white hat SEO?
     
    purdue512, Sep 9, 2008 IP
  20. shahilroyhere

    shahilroyhere Well-Known Member

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    #40
    Its true that you can draw a line to distinguish this, but what you can do is a very simple question.
    Am I entending some value to users or just trying to fool them?
    I think in 90% cases this will draw the line between them.
    As far as I know, there is no such thing like if I am increasing my traffic through softwares, not manually, then it becomes Black hat SEO. Cause many Black Hat techniques are done manually and many repeatative White Hat techniques can be done through softwares.
    But whenever you are creating any site with similar content and fill up the search engines' indexes, you can easily say it to be black hat technique as you definitely know that you are just fooling people to find your sites only. You are not giving people the chioce to see 10 different sites in 10 results page.
    I think thats the line we should think.
     
    shahilroyhere, Sep 10, 2008 IP