Search Engine Optimization or SEO is all about to how a target audience searches for information, goods and services on the internet. Every search is sectioned into keywords. Sufficiently used keywords improve rankings. If a website uses keywords and phrases that match an online user’s search, a company has an increased chance of better targeting their audience.
There are many techniques of Online Marketing to reach this, they are ‘honest’ (ethical) or ‘dishonest’ (unethical). The key difference between the two is quite uncomplicated: one follows generally accepted techniques and the other does not.
Ethical SEO is typically referred to as ‘white hat’ and is generally used to illustrate the use of trusted search engine optimisation techniques or code of conduct. Ethical SEO techniques are generally considered as those that can be plainly visible to a website visitor. Any consealed tricks are usually suggestive of a concealed or unethical approach.
In contrast, unethical SEO is often referred to as ‘black hat’ or ‘spam’. Unethical SEO is not necessarily an illegal activity, but is seen as trying to trick the searches and the search engines. These techniques and practices are viewed as scheming and devious. Unethical SEO is about cutting corners and cheating the accepted code of conduct for webmasters. Unethical SEO has one basic goal, to achieve immediate or short-term Search Engine Placement or high page listing. A great way for an online user to almost immediately recognise unethical SEO practices is to determine the number of links a website uses, as well as their quality.
Unethical SEO practices and online marketing are not normally obvious to a visitor. A Search Engine Optimization Company who makes use of unethical techniques in order to achieve high search engine placement by ‘tricking’ the market can be banned or black listed from all major search engines.
The following SEO practices and techniques are considered ethical:
• Different links for separate website pages can be created
• Keywords and content that are used is information that is relevant to the website searcher
• Inbound links (links within a website) can be incorporated. These can be useful if Online Marketing is used through a social media website.
• Websites can be updated frequently with relevant information. These can take the form of press releases, articles and blogs.
• Keeping up to date with the kinds of keywords a target audience is always using. This way, keywords within content are built to cater for a customer or client, getting better rankings, as well as giving a website more integrity. Using keywords properly and sufficiently encourages a target audience to regard and remember a website as being trustworthy for the information that they seek, and using an established Search Engine Optimization Company ensures these keywords are up to date.
• Links are not exchanged with other website of a low quality or containing information that is not applicable to a targeted audience.
• Adding a sitemap to a website that can be easily found by search engine spiders and helps to better index the complete site.
The following SEO practices and techniques are considered unethical:
• Text is concealed – eg. white text is ‘hidden’ on a white background, text can be ‘hidden’ behind pictures or a size zero font can be used.
• Links are concealed or made to appear less obvious to a website visitor – eg. links can be made into the same font colour as the main content.
• Making use of automated queries without the consent from search engines.
• Too many keywords and hidden text are used on a website. This is known as keyword stuffing. Online users are generally not aware of this.
• Javascript re-directs can be used whereby search engines are lead to a web page that is different from the one that is anticipated.
• Using duplicated content.
• Trading links - many websites have a tendancy to trading links. This can be very misleading and troublesome to an online user.
• Creating false doorway passages to direct users to other websites that may contain irrelevant content or a collection of more links.