If you are a marketer who uses SEO to earn profits online, you think about the white, black and grey hat SEO strategies. However, if you are new to SEO and don’t understand what these hats have to do with search engine optimisation, you will learn more in this article.

1. Black Hat SEO

It is the most unethical, unscrupulous, and often illegal form of SEO. The marketer uses techniques to get ahead of the competitors or bring traffic to a website incorrectly. 

They use search engine optimisation techniques without following the rules or even knowing the rules.

Advantages

When executed properly, the black hat SEO tactics can be the most effective way of getting ahead of the competition in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of black hat SEO is that it is perilous. When the search engine algorithm detects improper use of white hat SEO, the ranking and traffic received by the website are reduced, or in extreme cases, the website is banned altogether.

2. White Hat SEO

This is the traditional and the most ethical form of search engine optimisation. The marketer must follow the rules and build their site according to the guidelines and algorithms of the search engines. This strategy was designed to get positive results using white hat SEO. This way, you ensure that the search engine algorithms will not ban your website.

Advantages

It is a very safe way of making money online. The algorithm changes are rare, and when they happen, the primary focus is to make the website’s content more relevant and valuable for the users.

Disadvantages

White hat SEO is not as effective as the black hat tactic. It takes a lot of time and effort to get the same SERPs and number of conversions as black hat SEO.

3. Gray Hat SEO

It is a mixture of black hat and white hat SEO. White hat SEO focuses on the development of quality content and backlinks. At the same time, it rejects black hat methods of manipulating search engines. 

To promote the website, grey hat SEO strategies focus on developing quality content and backlinks while utilising various methods like private blog networks, article marketing, etc.

Advantages

It is a safe way of earning profits online and a highly effective way of getting traffic to the website. Any search engine will not ban the website if it follows a proper grey hat SEO strategy. 

Disadvantages

It isn’t easy to find a perfect balance between white hat and black hat SEO. This can lead to the website being banned by search engines. The website could get banned because of a violation of the rules or the misapplication of the rules.

The Wrap Up

So, what type of SEO are you using? If you are using black hat SEO, you need to stop doing that immediately; otherwise, search engines like Google will penalise your website and ban you completely. 

If you are using white hat SEO, you are doing the right thing but not the right way. You will not get enough traffic and conversions. If you are using grey hat SEO, you are doing a mix of both good and bad. The website will rank. However, the conversion rates will not be good.

Frank Digital provides SEO services in Adelaide and will get your website on the first page of Google’s search results. If you don’t have a website or can’t be found on Google’s first page, you are missing out on potential visitors and sales. Request a no-obligation free consultation with one of our seo specialists to find out how we can help build your digital presence today!