Definition - Black Hat SEO

Ask 10 different search engine optimization people to define black hat SEO, and you'll probably get ten different definitions.

Here's how I define it. When you use an SEO technique that's outside of Google's guidelines for webmasters, you're practicing black hat SEO. You also run the risk of having your website removed from Google's database entirely. That means nobody will find your website at all, even if they search for it by name.

I don't use black hat SEO techniques, because I think they are a disservice to clients. Even if a client asked me to use these kinds of techniques, I would decline. I don't want that kind of reputation.

It's beyond the scope of this glossary to explain the many types of black hat SEO. You can learn more about them from the links provided below. Basically, if you're doing something "behind the scenes" of your website to make search engines think it has more content than it really does, you're practicing black hat SEO.

Bottom line: I do not use black hat SEO techniques, and I think any SEO "professional" who uses them without warning clients of the risk deserves to be fired.

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