When we talk about SEO, i.e. "Search Engine Optimization", we are talking about improving site performance in search engine results so that the site appears on the first-page results when it matches the researcher's question.

Therefore, more than 60% of marketing experts believe that SEO is the key to online success, as paying attention to it leads not only to better site performance results but also to the spread and strength of the brand as a whole.

Therefore, many companies allocate about 40% of their marketing budget to improve the results of the company's search engines.

SEO Strategies

Using the broader concept, marketing strategies fall under two main hats, the white and the black hat, and they are the primary ways you will do to improve site performance, knowing that you cannot work with both at the same time.

I always prefer to stay away from the black hat, as Google algorithms are constantly evolving to combat everyone who works in indirect ways.

So we will talk about black hat to avoid it completely, and avoid any penalties that may come on the site as a result of using any of these methods without knowing.

White Hate SEO

This hat indicates the correct ways to improve the performance of the site in the results of search engines, and before starting, it must be known that it will not bring quick results, but on the contrary, it works on long-term results.

Therefore, it works on three main axes, which are observing the guidelines of the search engine, paying attention to the researcher, and working on long-term results.

But if you want to get quick results from following this policy, you can work on search engine marketing (SEM) while working on SEO.

Search Engine Guidelines

When we talk about these hats we are talking about Google algorithms because it is simply the most famous engine.

Since it is used by more than 91% of search engine users worldwide, you should consider Google Webmaster Guidelines which are Google Webmaster Guidelines.

Generally, these guidelines help you know how to use the site safely and securely, index it, and rank it in search results.

One of the most important guidelines is that the content is of high quality and relevance, that is, the content must be appropriate for the purpose of the site. The site cannot be specific to cars and only displays articles on skincare in order to increase visitors to the site.

The content of the site must be relevant and appropriate to the site, and the content must be of high quality, as the search engine is constantly updating its algorithms, but the content remains the main and most important point.

For example, writing the name of the product plus the price only is not enough for the content to be valuable, but the details of the product, its features for the user, its operational capacity, and so on should be written.

Therefore, the performance of the Site and the content on it must not be deceptive to the user or engine algorithms and must follow general guidelines.

Focus on the Searcher

The searcher is the person who searches search engines for information or inquiries that revolve in his head, and when he searches for the product or service you provide, the researcher in this case is your potential customer.

Therefore, the site must be suitable for the use of individuals, provide the information they are looking for in a good way, and the content must be real, strong, and purposeful.

The search engine's policy displays sites that provide strong content that is closely related to the searcher's question in the first results, and also takes into account the site's speed and performance in general.

Therefore, many tools measure the performance of the site in terms of speed, its response to different types of screens, and other points.

Simply, your goal should be to provide real information and service through a fast, efficient, and convenient website for individuals.

Therefore, you must search for the words that the user is looking for and provide content on a continuous and semi-periodic basis, because this helps the search engine more to trust your site.


Work on the long term results


As the white hat policy works to provide good content through a strong site, the results do not appear directly after making modifications and continuous attention to the site and providing new content, but rather it takes time for your site to be advanced according to the strength of the site and competition in the field.

Of course, the more your site is new and the competition is strong, the more difficult it is for the site to quickly top the search results. It can take your site from 3 to 6 months or more, unlike black hat methods whose results appear in a very short time.

But in return, avoiding crooked policies ensures your presence in the search engine results, as we have explained that Google works to remove these sites from the search engine results and does not show them.

Black Hat SEO

Black hat SEO strategies are the opposite strategy of white hat, and by following them, your site will not appear and will be removed from search results.
As with each new policy of manipulation that is discovered, Google releases a new update that removes those sites from search engine results, because, in the end, the engine's target is the user or searcher.
This strategy boils down to doing everything that is indirect to deceive the engine and users to increase visitors to the site or "Traffic", starting from disregarding search engine guidelines and relying on roundabout methods to quick and direct results.

Not following search engine guidelines

Violation of the instructions set by the search engines makes these sites on the list of unwanted sites, which is called "webspam" to differentiate them from "email spam".
An example of violating devious guidelines or policies is buying links from websites or pages to increase traffic to your site. These links are called "Link Schemes".
This method is the opposite of making contracts with other sites that provide content close to your content but are not competitive. This method is called "link building", and through it, you provide complete content that is useful to the customer and indicates the content provided by your site.
But you must be careful when making the "link building" because when you increase it in an exaggerated way, or when the search engine doubts it, or when you rely on sites originally "Webspam", the engine may treat you as an undesirable site in the same way.
Likewise, "Keyword Stuffing" means using the search word or the keyword of the article extensively and out of context, writing words in a line that is difficult for the reader to see, writing them in the same color as the background, or repeating the word unnecessarily.

Relying on manipulative methods

Manipulation methods are many, but they are quickly revealed, so those methods should be avoided completely, including providing copied or inappropriate content for the nature of the site, stealing user data, or other indirect or manipulative methods.
Simply are those ways that deceive Google and tell them that this site provides strong content and the truth is not and that its content is duplicated, copied, incomplete, or has no essential relationship with the site or deceptive content.
Not to mention the possibility of complaining from other sites to your site when they know that you have stolen their content, especially images, and users can also file a complaint if they encounter problems with your site.
As well as attempting to steal user data to use it for commercial purposes, since the end of February 2022, the security of the site "HTTPS" has become an algorithm displaying results.
So your site should not use any manipulative methods, whether direct or indirect.

Work on fast and direct results

As we have explained, black hat methods are deceptive methods that rely on deception, so they should be completely avoided, and most of these methods bring quick results for the appearance of the site in search engines.
Therefore, all indirect and roundabout methods should be avoided, because the development of the algorithms of the different search engines has made it easier to identify those sites that follow these policies and prevent their appearance.

The most common mistakes to avoid

When looking for ways to increase the number of visitors to your site quickly, we find that there are many ideas or ways that may make your site unwanted.
Some of these methods were used a lot in the old days because they came with good results before the recent and continuous updates from the search engine to detect those methods to avoid in the search results.
Therefore, you should be careful of these points so as not to cause your site to be closed or for a user to report you, which may cause your site to be placed with unwanted sites and be closed.
Also, do not work with black and white hat policies, because despite the strength of your site and the power of using the right policies and their long-term effectiveness, when you use the wrong policies your site will be classified as "Webspam".

Keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the use of the article's keyword a lot, whether inside or outside the context, directly and indirectly.
Such as using it before the start of a particular paragraph and repeating it at the beginning of each paragraph without its relation to the content, so keyword stuffing may make your site "Webspam".
So if you are using this method you should stop using it now.

Duplicate Content

Good content is not easily written and presented, so it is no wonder that good content is one of the most essential algorithms for a search engine in displaying results.
One of the policies that are considered a black hat is to provide the same content on the site with a small part of its title change or to provide the same content again with small changes without adding good content to it.
Therefore, it must be taken into account that the content is not duplicated, of poor quality, or provides false or incorrect information.

Hidden text

Hiding the text is placing certain content on the page with the reader or user not being able to read it but the search engine reading it, which means deceiving the engine.
Attempts to hide text in writing specific content include the use of highly searched words in a font with the same background color, zero sizes, or behind an image.
Any of these attempts should be avoided because search algorithms are getting smarter and more accurate in detecting these methods.

Use of Paid/Manipulative Links

The links your site gets must be 'earned', based on trust between the site giving you that link and your site.
There is a difference between "Link Scheme" or buying links or using them incorrectly and "Link Building" or building a strong relationship between your site and another site, as it depends on the exchange of links between a site and this other site.
One of the tools that help to know the strength of the other site is "Moz" and its tool can be downloaded from the "MozBar - Chrome Web Store".
Moz helps to know the "Spam Score" or "Webspam" of the site you want to build a relationship with, so you should check the policies of other sites so that this does not make you a spam site.
You must not have an excessive number of links or automatic link building that forces the user to enter your site, nor should you use any misleading directives or links.

Use negative SEO

Negative SEO is not one of the popular methods, but it is the most unethical one, where someone uses black hat strategies, but with a competitor's site in order to affect its ranking in search results.
Although not very well known, the development of Google's search algorithms is working to identify and ignore these attacks on sites.
Therefore, links to your site should be reviewed on an ongoing basis through the Moz tool or through the SEMrush Backlink Audit tool.
If you are exposed to any of these malicious policies, you can report spam, paid links, or malware through the "Google Spam Report".

Conclusion

The difference between white and black hats is the policy you have to deliver your content to users, always keep track of developments and avoid wrong policies.
You must observe the guidelines of the search engine and pay attention to providing good and real content to the researcher and focus on it because good content is the best and fastest way to rank in search results.
And of course, avoid any manipulative or misleading methods and do not follow any unethical policy, because the matter will be revealed in the end and this will lead to the imposition of penalties on your site as well as not showing it in the search results.
And if your site is new to the competition, you should avoid fast and misleading roads as they will not benefit your site but on the contrary as they often harm it.