Search engines possess sophisticated algorithms that determine the legitimacy of a specific website. Business websites that are seen as credible rank higher in their engines, which boosts both their brand awareness and visibility. These two factors, in turn, have a cumulative effect on each business’s income potential.
The practice of formulating strategies to land businesses higher rankings on search engine results pages (SERPS) is called search engine optimization or SEO. If you own a business that’s set to take off in the digital age, it’s in your best interest to commission professional SEO services to get good rankings for your website. But as early as now, you should choose to partner with an agency that promises white hat SEO strategies and nothing else.
What exactly is white hat SEO and how does it differ from black hat SEO? Is it really worth investing in this specific strategy, and are there other ways to boost website performance? This article offers a brief explanation of the importance of white hat SEO and why you can’t settle for anything less for your business.
White Hat SEO: A Definition
White hat SEO covers all techniques that are deemed to be legitimate and honest when it comes to improving search rankings on a search engine results page (SERP). This can range from offering high-quality content to having a seamless user interface.
When you partner with an SEO company in the Philippines, for example, the team will assess the performance of your existing website, determine areas for improvement, and design a custom strategy to improve website ranking. More often than not, small businesses need help optimizing their e-commerce websites for mobile-friendliness. Thus, a great white hat SEO strategy for mobile friendliness may include mobile users in its overall plan so that the website has a higher chance of ranking on the first page of Google. This is a legitimate method that will draws its success from improved website design.
How Does White Hat SEO Differ from Black Hat SEO?
In contrast to white hat SEO, black hat SEO attempts to improve search rankings through deceptive methods that are not approved by search engines. Black hat SEO comprises any strategies that try to fool search engines or the reader into thinking that the website is a credible source of information.
The most common example of black hat SEO is keyword stuffing. This is when a business continually places SEO phrases all over its website content to the point where it no longer makes sense. Other known black hat SEO strategies include duplicate content, article spinning, sneaky redirects, and content automation.
It is important to note that search engines are meant to display sites that offer the most value to the reader for their specific search intent. Black hat SEO disrupts and circumvents this process, which is why search engines place a top priority on banning any website that engages in these practices.
Why White Hat SEO is the Only Good Choice for Your Business
Admittedly, black hat SEO can offer your business almost immediate results. If you’re a startup wanting to be seen by your target market as soon as possible, you may be tempted to agree to some black hat SEO techniques. However, the short-term success of increased traffic and immediate high search engine rankings will come at a hefty price. If your website is reported or is detected by the search engine’s algorithm, it could be permanently banned and blacklisted from that search engine’s pages.
White hat SEO, on the other hand, offers longer-lasting results. Because it is an approach whose success is meant to build over time, you should expect your website to rank well after a year and continue to do so for longer. White hat SEO also has the added advantage of boosting brand credibility because of its organic nature.
Which White Hat SEO Strategies Should You Use?
All businesses have specific needs and their white hat SEO strategy needs to align with those goals. Whether you choose to do your SEO in-house or hire an SEO company, you need to carefully assess what you want to achieve and where your website could do better. For either approach, always consider that white hat SEO is the ethical way to create a sustainably successful website.
Creating multiple high-quality articles that relate to your specific service is a good place to start. High-quality content with descriptive, keyword-rich meta tags signals to search engines that your business is an authority in its field, which could help you rank higher in their platforms.
Takeaway
Remember that your website is usually your first point of contact with your potential customer. You need to make sure that you give a great first impression, as this will entice them to explore your website even further.
While black hat SEO can get you noticed right away, the approach of using poor content and blatant hard-sells can cause your customers to lose interest. Investing in a custom white hat SEO strategy is an evergreen way to boost brand credibility and keep your business’s SERP rankings high for a long time. Start your business’s journey in the digital era the right way—by settling for nothing less than white hat SEO practices that mirror your company’s honesty and integrity.