Using black hat SEO is not only a bad choice for you, but it is very inconvenient for users because these unethical methods often change their actions without benefit for them and can also harm white hat competitors. Because of the rate at which information is exchanged online, it is possible to cause yourself the most harm by manipulating information in the hopes of boosting traffic. While the methods vary, they include things such as cloaking, spam, and bait & switch. These techniques are against the terms of service of search engines because they are unethical.
Users visiting sites will see the disconnect between what has been described and what actually is. If they feel duped or insulted, they may blacklist you and warn others to do the same. Some users report their experiences with black hat techniques to search engines and others, effectively shutting you down. Misleading users to view information they were not searching for, is not unique, or is incoherent can get those using black hat banned just as quickly as having search engines recognize use of these strategies. When search engines recognize the con, those using these methods will end up getting blacklisted. Even if a site gains in traffic or sales, these benefits will come to an end when the search engines find these methods in use as it’s near impossible to get significant traffic to sites that aren’t ranked well with search engines.
By taking away traffic and possibly sales from those who do play by the rules, black hat tactics can harm competitors as well as irritate end users. For instance, tactics such as doorway pages & bait and switch do not add anything positive to user experiences while often leading users to places they weren’t seeking. Spam blogs and spam comments get little interest from humans because they provide useless content and waste the reader’s time with posts that are irrelevant or incoherent. And competitors who may offer better service or products may get passed over because they were not ranked high enough due to black hat strategies used by competitors.
Clearly there are ethical and proven methods of increasing search engine rank and website traffic but some prefer going the black hat route because it may be less costly in money, time, creativity, or effort. Because there are benefits to using this type of SEO, many don’t resist taking the plunge but in the process they harm their site and name for the long term. Serial users of these techniques take a very short term approach starting and dropping sites as they are blacklisted and some buy and hold domains hoping to make a buck in the process.
A logical thinker who values their domain and other facets of their image would find black hat techniques to be a no-go from the start. Once these techniques are used, it is extremely difficult to build a good name or reputation online and this is the reason that you should avoid using black hat tactics. If you want to have a long term presence and positive experience online, go white hat instead.
