

This term is often used by computer security professionals to describe hackers who exploit vulnerabilities without permission.īlack hat tactics are often seen as unethical or even criminal in the context of search engine optimization because they can include hacking into websites or paying Google employees to manipulate your website’s ranking within their algorithm.

If you are found to be using a Black Hat SEO technique, you could be banned from Google altogether.Ī “black hat” hacker is someone who breaks into computers and networks for malicious purposes.

Google does not allow Black Hat SEO techniques and will penalize you if they are used on your website. It’s considered a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines to do this, and if you’re caught, your site will be penalized. Your competitor is building fake websites and fake website directories and putting their name on it which is helping them rank higher in search engines.īlack Hat SEO is an unethical, deceptive, and sometimes even illegal method of marketing that improves search engine rankings.They are using link farms to improve their ranking factors.

Your competitor is ranking high, but you do research using software like Ahrefs or Semrush and find backlinks piling up at the speed of light and you know they are paid for and not genuine.They put out thin or low content that is not quality just to fill up space and use keyword stuffing, yet they are beating you in the ranks.The site just spins as you go from page to page, yet they are ranking well. Your competitor’s website that loads at the speed of molasses.The site structure is a mess, they use numerous colors fonts. Your competitor’s website that has terrible UX and design but they are ranking well on Google.Your competitor is ranking much higher than you with few Google reviews, poor Google reviews or reviews that obviously look fake.These concerns are often blanketed in Black Hat SEO tactics, which we will talk about more later. Clues that might concern you about your competitor’s SEO strategies.īelow are some of the clues that you might have that can cause you to be concerned about your ranking.
