Do you run an SEO campaign to improve your ranking on Google? Want to know which techniques are doing more harm than good?

We share 25 black hat SEO tactics to avoid in this infographic.

For many website owners today, getting ahead on Google’s results pages has never been more challenging.

With regular updates bringing disappointing results for some, SEO is becoming more and more competitive as websites compete for eyeballs.

With search engine algorithms becoming more sophisticated, you might even say it’s no surprise many turn to Blackhat techniques as an easy way out.

But what exactly are Blackhat SEO tactics?

Blackhat tactics refer to the process of strengthening your website’s search rank position using methods that are in violation of a search engine’s terms of use.

By using unethical methods to get ahead, these tactics are branded as ‘Blackhat’ – after Western movies depicting enemies wearing black hats, as opposed to the ‘good guys’ that wore white hats.

Whilst using Blackhat SEO techniques are bad for your website, many website owners are unaware that they are falling into the trap of using them on a daily basis.

One of the most penalised Blackhat SEO tactic alive and kicking is over-optimising your website’s content. Keyword stuffing, irrelevant keywords, and hidden/invisible text are just a few tactics that will get you penalised by Google.

As your website will have lots of content – after all, you need to inform your customers! – it’s so easy to fall into the trap of endorsing Blackhat SEO unintentionally.

Duplicating content, for example, is a huge threat to your organic search efforts. If you have several pages that contain your services, you might want to think twice about duplicating that bullet-point list that you’ve already mentioned about ten times.

Another way to fall victim to this is by replicating content taken from other sites. Not only is this flagrant plagiarism – it actually lets search engines know that an exact copy of the content exists on your website, and therefore irrelevant to its users.

A way round this is by using citation for content retrieved from external parties, such as links to articles or clearly visible footnotes.

Once upon a time, before search engines developed into what they are today, many of these tactics were standard procedure. As more and more online visitors found themselves being misled and tricked, however, search engines began to take action.

Despite it being shrouded in mystery, there’s no secret formula when it comes to having an effective SEO strategy. If you want to gain positive organic search results, your website needs to fulfil simple criteria.

At the very least, having relevant, meaningful content will land you in good stead with search engine results. Ensuring that content contains relevant keywords that reflect your target audience’s needs and wants will only make your strategy stronger.

Take the time to build a positive online presence on SERPs using ethical tactics. The likes of Google will only thank you for it. And so will your customers.