Until a decade ago, SEO was considered a marketing technique that could bypass Google’s algorithm in order to get better rankings for one’s website.

This was possible because Google’s algorithm was much less accurate than today’s algorithm especially in detecting spam. It was, therefore, possible to use so-called black hat SEO techniques.

To date, thanks to a more updated algorithm, these deceptive techniques are, instead, penalizing for one’s website.

Let’s see what these techniques are and how we can avoid using them to avoid being penalized by Google’s algorithm.

The techniques of Black Hat SEO
Black Hat SEO consists of techniques for ranking a website that are not in line with search engine rules but are intended to circumvent their algorithms to improve SERP ranking.

Any search engine clearly indicates which techniques are contrary to their guidelines and explicitly states what the consequences of this violation are.

Mainly, the use of Black Hat SEO techniques can lead to a worsening of rankings resulting in a decrease in organic traffic.

What risks are involved in using Black Hat SEO.
As we have seen, the use of Black Hat SEO carries significant risks, as well as not being properly ethical, so many SEOs decide not to adopt them.

Unfortunately, there is always a small fringe of professionals who try to circumvent the system, at first even achieving positive results. But these results are destined, however, not to last.

In Google’s instructions reserved for Webmasters, one can clearly read thoughts on the principles that should guide SEO:

Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is to think about whether you would feel comfortable explaining what you did to a Web site that competes with you or to a Google employee. Another useful test is to ask yourself, “Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn’t exist?”

Using Black Hat SEO techniques does not answer either question positively.

Why avoid Black Hat SEO
It is necessary to avoid Black Hat SEO because, as you can always read in Google’s Webmaster Instructions, these techniques “can lead to the complete removal of a site from Google’s index or that the site may be affected by manual or algorithmic spam action.” And they also state that “if a site has been affected by a spam action, it may no longer show up in results on Google.com or one of Google’s partner sites.”

In this way it is possible to understand why Black Hat SEO is not advisable: SEO is concerned with improving a site’s ranking and organic traffic, but by adopting these unethical techniques the result you get is opposite.

Let’s find out what the main disadvantages are.

The ranking of your website
The main reason for not adopting Black Hat SEO techniques is the deterioration in search ranking that goes to negatively affect organic traffic.

The drop in performance can be a result of manual or algorithm action.

The loss of organic traffic leads to a decrease in conversions and revenue, which, in turn, can also decree site closure. To make up for these declines there is often a need to increase the volume of investment or target paid channels.

Black Hat SEO does not bring long-term results
It may happen that bypassing Google’s algorithm may result in an improvement in organic performance.

This improvement, however, is not likely to last: Google may take time to detect unethical behavior on the part of sites, but once detected the drop in organic traffic is certain.

Seeing positive results disappear after a short time is even more discouraging than investing time and energy to honestly rank well.

Examples of Black Seo to avoid
If you are getting into SEO you may find it difficult to identify SEO techniques that do not violate Google’s guidelines.

Always pay close attention to whatever tactics you choose to use so that you don’t risk engaging in unfair behavior, and most importantly, don’t trust techniques suggested on social media because they can easily lead you to using Black Hat techniques.

Following are nine techniques that should not be used as they conflict with Google’s Webmaster Instructions:

1.Keyword Stuffing
2.Duplicate content
3.Hidden Text
4.Doorway/Gateway pages
5.Cloaking
6.Paid links
7.Improper structured data and rich snippets
8.Misleading redirects
9.Negative SEO

Keyword Stuffing
Excessive repetition of the main keyword within the page generates so-called keyword stuffing. This behavior most often penalizes ranking.

Often Black Hat SEOs continually insert keywords in a forced manner within a text: the results will be content that is difficult to read and lacks value for the user.

Duplicate content
One of Google’s key ranking factors is the creation of valuable and useful content for the user.

One Black Hat technique involves automatically creating local pages with the same content but with different names or logos. In this way, it will be possible to rank content for many keywords, but without having provided the user with quality content.

To get good SEO results invest time in creating useful content so that you do not have to deal with the problems caused by pages with no content or duplicate content.

Hidden text
In the past it was common to insert text of the same color as the site background, perhaps behind an image, making use of CSS so that users could not see it.

This text consisted of a long list containing the keywords for which they wanted to place content in SERPs.

Today it is impossible to make use of this Black Hat technique because the algorithms are much more up-to-date than in the past and crawlers can immediately spot web pages that are overly full of keywords.

Doorway/Gateway Pages
Another technique that violates Google’s Instructions involves creating pages to rank for certain search queries but that act as funnels to other pages. These pages are called doorways or gateways.

Be sure to create content that answers a specific query without using them to place keywords that are inconsistent.

Also avoid:

• Of creating pages to respond to keywords that are geographically targeted in a place that your business does not physically cover,
• of creating pages that are useful only for ranking purposes but are of no use to the user;
• of creating content only for the search engine.

Cloaking
Cloaking involves publishing different content or URLs depending on whether the site visit is made by the user or by the search engine.

This allows you to position the content you create for the search engine and at the same time redirect the user to a different page.

If you create valuable content for your users, search engines will be inclined to reward your site.

Paid/manipulative links
One of the most common black hat techniques is the use of link schemes, not to be confused with link building, which involves spontaneous link building between one site and another.

Therefore, avoid:

• of placing sponsored links without the rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored” attribute;
• Of inserting too many link exchanges;
• spam comments to the site;
• spam in forums;
• excessive article marketin or guest posting campaigns;
• automated link building;
• spam directories and bookmarking sites;
• Site-wide links in the footer or sidebar;
• links that use exact match or commercial anchor text.

Overuse of structured data and rich snippets.
Another Black Hat technique is overuse of structured data, which, when used properly, serves to define online entities and actions.

Misuse of this data involves providing the wrong information in order to create structured data that benefits one’s site.

Examples are fake positive reviews that improve a business’ SERP ranking.

Misleading redirects
The use of redirects is very useful if you are migrating a site or creating a new URL and is the only means of ensuring access to the site for both users and crawlers.

Be careful, however, not to insert fraudulent redirects that propose content to the user that is different from what the page has been ranking for.

In fact, the search engine indexes the original page but the user is redirected to other content.

Google in the Webmaster Instructions indicates the use of sneaky redirects as a Black Hat technique

Negative SEO
Some Black Hat SEO techniques involve penalizing competitor sites.

This decidedly unethical technique involves creating a large number of links to the competitor’s domain so that the search engine penalizes it.

By now Google is able to detect these links and ignore them so this technique is less and less used.

However, always be sure to analyze your link profile, perhaps making use of tools such as SEMrush’s Backlink Audit Tool.

Report the use of black hat SEO techniques to Google.
It is possible that you may have realized that you have encountered the use of these techniques on a competitor site that, however, has not been penalized in any way.

In this case you can send a report to Google: even if the report does not result in direct action you have still contributed to the algorithm’s improvement of spam detection.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that Google’s algorithm is becoming increasingly sophisticated and is able to penalize unethical sites, there are still some sites that gain advantages from using Black Hat techniques.

But, as we have seen, it is only a matter of time before Google penalizes them.