Search Engine advertising or SEO is all about to how a target audience searches for information, goods and services on the internet. Every search is broken down into keywords. Sufficiently used keywords promote 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 various processes of Online Marketing to accomplish this, they are ‘honest’ (ethical) or ‘dishonest’ (unethical). The key difference between the two is quite uncomplicated: one follows generally accepted processes 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 classed as those that can be clearly visible to a website visitor. Any secreted tricks are usually indicative of a hidden 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 regarded as trying to trick the searches and the search engines. These techniques and practices are viewed as manipulative and devious. Unethical SEO is about cutting corners and cheating the accepted code of conduct for webmasters. Unethical SEO has one fundamental goal, to achieve instantaneous or short-term Search Engine Placement or high page rankings. 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 usually apparent 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 processes 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 visitor
• 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 often 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, achieving better rankings, as well as giving a website more authority. Using keywords properly and sufficiently encourages a target audience to regard and remember a website as being consistent for the information that they seek, and using an established Search Engine Optimisation 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 effortlessly found by search engine spiders and helps to better index the whole site.
The following SEO methods and techniques are considered unethical:
• Text is hidden – 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 hidden or made to appear less obvious to a website visitor – eg. links can be made into the same typeface 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 pointed to a web page that is different from the one that is expected.
• Using duplicated content.
• Trading links – many websites have a habit of 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.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad you're calling this out. It's all about honesty and trust. For public relations professionals and marketers alike there is a new standard that must be followed. It's called "trustcasting." http://www.famefoundry.com/1356/trustcasting
@FFcommunicator
Fame Foundry
Thanks for the very helpful information. I enjoyed reading your article and I have learned a lot about SEO. Staying tuned for more.