by Darcy | May 29, 2014 | SEO Education |
Flickr Image by Regan Walsh In the beginning, the field of SEO was comprised of companies attempting to “rig” the way search engines display their listing in search results. Today, the SEO has evolved into a holistic strategy geared towards generating a positive user experience and robot trust. The former represents what is today called “Black Hat SEO,” and the latter “White Hat SEO.” The tactics that companies use to employ these alternative strategies differ drastically. Despite large efforts to render black hat techniques obsolete (largely in part by Google), their proponents linger to today. The differences are many, but here’s a quick chart to illustrate the main difference between the two. Differences At a Glance Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO Working Definition The tactics used to obtain higher search rankings are in conflict with general webmaster guidelines. Tactics transparently conform to current web guidelines and laws without being deceptive. Industry Status Penalized by search engines. Approved by search engines. Consequence Website is often de-indexed by search engines, or experiences diminished rankings. Website is enabled to receive full benefit from organic search traffic now and into the future. Common Techniques Keyword stuffing, cloaking, link farming, hidden text, spam, paid links, etc. Quality content, high user experience, relevant keywords, authentic online reputation, reviews, etc. Should You Use Black Hat Tactics? The short answer is no. Search engines are very upfront about what they are willing to accept and what they will penalize. The good news is that there is still enormous room to gain long-term search exposure using an entirely white-hat toolbox. The long answer is, maybe. The lines...
by Darcy | May 15, 2014 | SEO Tactics |
There is no cookie-cutter mold for SEO. Search engine marketing strategies are as diverse as the businesses that employ them. This is why small and medium-size businesses around the world are focusing on local search as their primary SEO focus. After all, local businesses are generally only interested in one thing – local business. Knowing this, businesses often ask: “What strategies should we focus on to unlock highly relevant local traffic to our website?” To get you started, here’s three simple areas to cover. #1 – Boost Your Search with Google Local It’s no secret – Google’s attempt to dominate the social media world with Google+ has been a rocky endeavor at best. Now that we know Google+ isn’t going to take over Facebook any time soon, what is it all for? Fortunately for Google, they are good at adapting. It seems their tactic is to merge their various Google+ products into mapping out a hierarchy of small, medium, and large-size businesses around the world. And they’re starting with Google Local. Google Local connects your business to Google Maps. This is a good thing for local businesses, as Google is increasingly serving Google Maps in SERPs. In 2010, Google reported the proportion of SERPs that show a map is 1 in 13. By claiming ownership of your company’s Google Local page, you will increase your chances of showing up in the “Map” and “Places” component of local search results. #2 – Keep Your Contact Info Consistent Google’s whole model is predicated on accurate and organized data. When users search for local services, Google needs to trust that the websites...
