With so many similar websites on the internet today, it is only reasonable to take a few extra measures in
order to stand out and be noticed. This can be done by using SEO or search engine optimization. There are plenty of reputable ways to do this, such as through an Austin SEO company; there are also an equally large number of ways to do it dishonestly, which is referred to as “black hat” SEO.
SEO Principles
Search engine optimization is a website marketing strategy that is used to make a website more visible to the search engine spiders. Adherence to search engine guidelines is a part of ‘white hat’ SEO while ‘black hat’ SEO tends to bend the rules to achieve search engine ranking as quickly as possible. SEO principles revolve around honestly opening up doors for a website to be visible to the search engines.
It is important to know the different types of black hat SEO in order to know what a web designer should not be doing to properly optimize a website.
Types
Search engine optimization is meant to aid search engines to better index websites based on content and relevance and many tactics used to achieve this result are perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately, some overzealous web creators went overboard and attempted some SEO tactics that do not conform to expected standards – these are known as black hat SEO and should be avoided when trying to establish a reputable website. Some of the different types are listed below.
- Keyword Stuffing – Keywords are an essential element of Austin SEO. Search engines index a website based on the words found in its content; so inserting strategic keywords is very beneficial – as long as it is not excessive. Keyword stuffing refers to inserting phrases that are unrelated to the content repeatedly throughout the content to attract search engine indexing. It is bad in the sense that it misleads the browser and lowers the quality of the content. Readers have a hard time understanding the content when it is liberally filled with completely unrelated phrases. As a rule of thumb, keywords should not exceed three percent of the total number of words within the page.
- Invisible Text – Some web designers use invisible text in hopes of increasing search engine indexing. In most cases, the text is completely unrelated to the actual content of the site. Although it does not necessarily affect the viewers experience since the text is not seen by the readers, it is still considered as black hat SEO because it misleads the browser into indexing a page for text that is not really part of the content.
- Page Redirect – Page redirect is another tactic designed to fool a browser. It works by having a landing page full of incomprehensible keywords meant to be indexed by search engines. Once a visitor sees the link in the search results and clicks on it, they are immediately redirected to a separate page by means of meta refresh commands or through mouse movement. The bad thing about page redirect, aside from fooling the browser, is users can also end up on a page that is completely unrelated to what was actually being looked for..
- Duplicate Content – Another popular method of deceiving a browser is by posting similar content, but with a slight variation in the keywords. That way the website can be ranked for various keywords without necessarily over-stuffing each page. Posting duplicate content can lead to poor search results on the search engine and therefore, it is not allowed.
In conclusion, Austin SEO is a necessary measure to try to get ahead of the competition; however, it is important to use it in an honest manner. Although the use of black hat SEO tactics does temporarily succeed, the consequences far out weight the benefits. Websites that are caught implementing these black hat tactics can be penalized by the search engines and completely banned. So be SEO educated and don’t use black hat tactics to achieve short-term goals!
Call The Experts at Web Unlimited to Help With Austin SEO!
Do you want to find an Austin SEO company to create a business website that properly uses SEO? Call Web Unlimited at (888) 516-0172 to find professionals who will not only design your website but help elevate it to the top of search engine ranking with effective and honest search engine optimization!