Search Engine Optimization Tips Blog

Okay so you have been reading up on SEO, you have seen what search engine optimization can do, but the term ‘white hat’ keeps popping up, in almost every reference you read. So the most logical question should be what is white hat search engine optimization? White hat search engine optimization is series of search engine optimization techniques. What differentiates these techniques from other techniques is that they are 100% legitimate and are accepted by all search engines, irrespective of the the algorithms, ranking techniques these search engines use.

White search engine optimization involves utilizing all the proper methods of search engine optimization, there is no buying of irrelevant links, no cramming of keywords at the cost of content, no writing meta tags filled with the same word over and over again. None of the really low, but frequently abused techniques mentioned above get you anywhere. Even if they do they are all part of what is called black hat search engine optimization.

There is a raging debate among numerous search engine optimizers as to what defines the boundaries of black and white hat search engine optimization. Some believe that even link building by placing links smartly and effectively is black hat, although the above is perhaps an extreme view and definitely not widely shared. The moral of the story is that there are no clearly defined white and black hat search engine optimization techniques. What one search engine optimizer considers white hat, may be black hat search engine optimization for the other.

The who’s who of search engine optimization believe that anything that is beyond the limits of the ordinary, should be termed as black hat. To put it simply if your site is attracting web traffic by false links, back-doors and other such methods, which are not natural then you are using black hat search engine optimization. Earlier experts believed creating specialized content that was keyword rich was also a form of black hat search engine optimization, however this notion has been disproved strongly as almost all successful sites on the internet today have optimized text on there websites.

To put things in simple words, don’t get stuck up in thinking what is white hat and what is black hat search engine optimization, just stick to the basics, and use your common sense. Even a new comer today can understand that the techniques he is using are white or black. And when in doubt, just do some research before taking any steps.

Regards
Rishi Modi - Certified SEO Professional

To begin, let me just say that this article would make more sense for people who are actually building a site from scratch. All search engines, lay a emphasis on the domain name, for example if you are creating a website for selling used cars, a domain name like usedcarsIndia.com will actually almost instantly ensure that your website has a page on listing for the keyword used cars India. Such is the weightage that the domain name carries in search engine optimization.

Before you go out and start looking for a domain name that has the same keywords you are targeting, just remember a few things. First, don’t get greedy; a domain name like usedcarsusedmotorcyclesusedjeepsindia.com is not only ridiculously long, but might not get you anywhere. For a simple reason, search engine may or may not interpret the entire domain name as a single keyword. So in effect unless someone actually types in the keyword used cars used motorcycles used jeeps india, you might not get any traffic for any other keyword. You are better off picking one or at the most two keywords and then choosing your domain name.

Secondly, don’t think that the domain name alone will optimize the site, agreed that search engines are biased to the domain name, the reasons for the bias are still generally unknown. Some believe that search engines do it to decide the genuineness of the site, for example a bradpitt.com, will obviously be the first logical choice for someone looking for Brad Pitt. What this has done is actually make some very popular domain names, very very expensive to buy. From an search engine optimization point of view, the domain name can no longer be ignored. But on the other hand having a good domain name alone does not do it (IMDB is currently the first site that comes up if you type in Brad Pitt on Google).

So in summation, one can clearly say that having the right domain name is important to any search engine optimization exercise, in fact if you have the luxury of advising a client from scratch, you best look up the keywords that he wants to target and advice him to choose a meaningful domain name, however if you don’t have the opportunity don’t worry. As I mentioned in the example above, the domain name alone does not guarantee you a high rating.

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