Search Editor Kevin Ryan takes us on a tour of the dark side of Search Engine Optimization.
The evil element in search engine optimization appears to be staging a comeback. The practice of using unapproved or quick-and-easy techniques to get better rankings against search queries has been the subject of one or two harsh thoughts in this forum over the years. I have climbed on my white horse and dismissed the practices known to defeat the search sites.
Have I judged them too harshly? Maybe they do serve a purpose or two in the grand scheme of all things search.
The evil doers -- or "black hats" as they have come to be called -- in the search business use techniques that clearly do not fit with the search engine's desire to have the highest quality listing content. Most site owners and brands with a solid web presence seek only to follow the guidelines set forth by the search sites. The well known downside of your site being banned from search results would seem to be a solid deterrent for black hat practices. Yet, for whole lot of reasons, they seem to be prevailing and even making a comeback.
Let's take a look into the deep dark world of search voodoo.
The hats
While MSN, Yahoo! and Google offer advice for site owners in this space, sometimes the temptation to cheat is just too great. But is it cheating, or just smart marketing?
A black hat is most aptly described as a search engine optimization professional that discovers the cheats, i.e. different ways to circumvent the search engine and achieve higher rankings within a search site. The black hat knows his practice is frowned upon, but he proceeds anyway.
For a quick rundown of "search spamming" or black hat techniques you can go here, but the tools and characterizations are not nearly as much fun as the motivations and we'll get to that in a minute.
The white hat search optimizer carries the most ethical of approaches to search marketing. They follow the guidelines as set forth by the mighty search engines. They adhere to accepted practices such as writing sharp, rich content, avoiding link farms, and they only offer smart advice to those in need of search marketing strength.
Grey hats are a bit more complicated. They are aware of the downfalls and nasty techniques but they may use some of them anyway. They might have a client who is also aware of the problems but in desperate need of assistance. The grey hat might also only use some techniques that ride the ragged edge of listing ban disaster. A close comparison to the grey hat can be person who gets a little creative with tax returns every year. Sure, that dinner with the potential client was a justified business expense, but it wasn't necessary to bring the wife to Maui for a three day meeting, was it?
See where I am going with this?
Dastardly deeds
What motivates a deep grey hat? Continuing with the tax evasion metaphor, the black hat doesn't view their activities as bad or negative. He or she has simply found a loophole; something a search engine may have missed. This type of black hat is best measured in shades of grey, but for the most part they know what they are getting themselves into.
Recently, I had a conversation with deeply grey hat search marketer. He attributed the resurgence in his type of technique to what he called "monopolistic behavior" from big search sites. He wears his hat proudly and this Huey P. Newton mentality (Sometimes if you want to get rid of the gun, you have to pick the gun up) got me to thinking.
The black hatter also wanted to make the distinction between, on one hand, what he and his dark colleagues were up to and, on the other hand, the much publicized efforts of those who participate in "carpet bagging" or "street-surance" techniques. The latter include promising top listings for a fee, collecting as much money as possible, and then disappearing when the client -- a.k.a. the victim -- discovers the problems. He viewed the carpet baggers as cheats and scoundrels, but himself as an artistic scientist -- one who knows how the system works and carefully massages it.
Remind you of any tax preparers?
Accidental heroes
Why would an otherwise intelligent, Google-fearing marketing professional engage the services of black hat? Perhaps a disgruntled employee launched a mudslinging website about the client and all efforts have failed to have the site removed. Frustration with search engines and the listings they have created have now given way to a Machiavellian mentality.
Another possible motivation might relate to the client's need for legitimate listings in highly trafficked or abused categories. Spammed listings are still alive and well, although the search engines continue to close in the perpetrators of evil.
Consider those on the business end of Google Bombing. If only the president had access to the defensive techniques that might pull his biography away from the "miserable failure" phrase. Since search sites have allowed the presence of "bombing" techniques, a decidedly white hat practice of using search results as a public relations tool has emerged. The cottage industry focused on search engine optimization merged with public relations is one of the fastest growing in the business.
Choose your poison
Who defines black or white hat practice is still left to search sites. In the absence of industry standards and guidelines, the controls we have in place are often left to the search marketers. A few have come up with some good ideas, but as of today it is still up to industry professionals select their own hats.
While I can't approve of -- or still don't truly appreciate -- the black hats, I can safely thank them for elevating the status of the search engine. Without them, search engines may never have implemented the strict controls now in place to prevent false listing glory. They may not have focused efforts on defeating the activities of the deep dark search hackers. Each day that the black hats strive to kick open new doors, search sites are there to close them and make search results stronger.
Additional resources:
Search THIS: How to Dance without Stumbling
SearchTHIS: Spam, Unprofitable Spam
iMedia Search Editor Kevin Ryan's current and former client roster reads like a "who's who" in big brands; Rolex Watch, USA, State Farm Insurance, Farmers Insurance, Minolta Corporation, Samsung Electronics America, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Panasonic Services, and the Hilton Hotels brands, to name a few. Ryan believes in sound guidance, creative thought, accountable actions and collaborative execution as applied to search, or any form of marketing. His principled approach and staunch commitment to the industry have made him one of the most sought after personalities in online marketing. Ryan volunteers his time with the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, and several regional non-profit organizations.
Ryan is the principal of Kinetic Results, Inc. a New York based online presence management firm.
Meet Kevin Ryan at AD:TECH Chicago July 11, 2005.