White Hat SEO

Optimizing web pages for search engines is a huge business. Like many service industries, a line has been drawn in the proverbial sand pertaining to the sort of techniques used. SEO, or search engine optimization, entails promoting certain elements of a website and making them compatible with aspects major engines rank highly.

 Black Hat SEO

Many marketers play games with the search engines, and in doing so often bend or break the rules. These sites can have terrific short term success if the gamble pays off, but more often that not, the URL will eventually be removed from the engine and the benefits cease. Website owners who prefer not to attempt to deceive both search engines and visitors are said to employ White Hat SEO techniques.

White Hat SEO

Much like the old westerns, the good guys wear the white hats. White Hat SEO techniques entail ethical practices that essentially take little or no consideration of search engine intricacies. These website are actually designed for specific, long-term purposes and are not the disposable, get-rich-quick URLS of the shadier techniques. White Hat elements generally appease the search engines, but take visitor preferences and purpose into consideration first and foremost. There are many techniques, including the following, utilized by White Hat SEOs.

Quality Content

As White Hat SEO websites are designed to appeal to actual people, the content on the sites must be of high quality. Written articles are easy for visitors to read and contain useful information. Images and information are designed for users, not for search engine algorithms. Of course, much of this style of content will also rank well in the search engines as it is legitimately relevant.

Legitimate Links

Obtaining links to a website is one of the aspects ranked well within a search engine. Of course, links can be purchased or traded, but these might not represent the quality reference material visitors are seeking. White Hat SEO seeks out links that pertain to actual content and legitimately offer additional information. They are usually a natural inclusion of the site, and again, are highly favored by search engines.

User-Friendly Websites

Websites utilizing White Hat SEO techniques are vested for the long-term. This means the website design is both user-friendly and quality. Black Hat marketers are fully aware that their sites can be banned at any moment, and don’t invest much time in developing the interface.

This is not the case for White Hat websites. The site itself is the main focus of these marketers. The site must appeal to and be easy to navigate by the visitors or it is irrelevant. The easiest way to create a user-friendly website is by using templates.

While there are many shades of gray between White and Black, website owners interested in following White Hat techniques generally fare better in the long run. It is important to plan for the future and take as many steps as possible to ensure a long life for your online business. For many, a template found on  some sites can offer an excellent foundation for a high-quality website. Design well and follow through ethically, and your online business will prosper.