Alain Bouched Leather Motorcycle Jackets

Bank Gray

SEO Color Scale: White, Gray, Black

Anyone who is familiar with search engine optimization has heard the terms, “white hat” and “black hat” in reference to SEO practices. Discussion abounds when we attempt to draw a line in the sand between what is considered “white hat” and what is considered “black hat.” There are those that claim that any type of website optimization is considered cheating. There are also those who are willing to do anything to get ahead, regardless of the consequences later down the line.

So when does website optimization turn from white to black? Is there a gray area, and if so, how big is it? Below I will discuss two areas of website optimization and the differences between white and black hat in both of them.

Website Content

Anyone who has spent any sort of time in website optimization knows that including keywords in your content is one of the best ways to get a ranking for that term. Including the correct amount of keywords is called optimization, adding too many keywords is called spam. Is there a magic number/percentage? Many SEO experts say, as long as your content is readable, then it isn’t spam, other experts say that a keyword density anywhere between 8-15% is optimal. This area is probably the most heavily discussed of all the optimization methods in terms of white hat and black hat. In fact, much of what is called “content enrichment” has been put under the label of “gray hat.” This involves items that are legitimate optimization techniques but are generally abused. For example, including the keyword “computer parts” in your content is essential to your site if you want to rank for that term. Due to the millions of potential competitors for that term, the word might need to appear on your page a little more than normal in order for that page to be fully optimized. This practice is abused by those who use the keyword so many times that the article ceases to become informative and becomes more of a page geared towards the select .001% of the world’s population who actually gains pleasure out of reading the same phrase over and over again.

It is no secret that the search engines love content. In their eyes, the more content, the better chance that some of it contains information that users are searching for. However, the search engines are not dumb; they know which side their bread is buttered on. If a search engine stops providing meaningful results and turns first page rankings into what boils down to a “keyword race”, the search engine loses credibility and eventually, revenue. Therefore, it is in the search engine’s best interest to keep spammed content out of the top results.

Linking

Another important aspect of website optimization is your linking campaign. A well structured linking campaign can lead to significant increases in your search engine rankings. Many webmasters see the value in linking and use devious methods of achieving them. Google has made it very clear that anyone caught paying for links will receive a penalty. So what does this mean? How can Google tell if a link has been paid for? The truth is, they probably can’t. However, if they see that it is because of massive number of links pointing to your site, a red flag immediately goes up. If they see that a decent number of links pointing to your site are from “link farms” or completely unrelated sites, you will undoubtedly be penalized. In an ideal, white hat, world, everyone would understand the value of linking and there would be almost nothing but reciprocal links, or genuine one way links. The truth is, we have all paid for a link, whether it is to a blog, or to another site. The nature of the linking business just works that way. However, if you want to avoid a Search Engine penalty, take great care to make sure that the links pointing to your site are at least somewhat related to your industry, services or products.

The difference between white and black hat when it comes to linking, might not necessarily lie in the method of procuring links, but in the number of links acquired and the relevancy of those links. As an SEO specialist, I would much rather have one link pointing to my site from a reputable, related site than 100 links to my site from questionable domains.

Now it’s Time to Choose a Side!

There is always some risk involved when optimizing a website. Methods that increase rankings today can be just as easily lost with a simple twist on the algorithm dial by any of the major search engines.

The simple truth is that sites that resort to black hat SEO tactics generally need to do so because the content on their site is not meaningful enough to achieve a first page ranking any other way. I am not here to sit on my cloud of judgment and hand down life lessons to all of you sinners out there, but take a good look at your SEO practices. I have seen SEO companies use black hat methods to help a client achieve number 1 rankings and then laugh all the way to the bank once the search engines change their algorithm and the client suddenly finds themselves out of the top 50, or even worse, banned from the search engines.

There are many Search Engine Optimization companies out there who have proven that white hat methods work. They have been able to distinguish the borders of the gray area and stay comfortably away from less than reputable methods of achieving high rankings because their client’s long term success is very important to them.

About the Author

Aaron Garcia is an SEO Analyst for MorePro Marketing, a Search Engine Marketing company. He has conducted extensive research in the field of Local Search and is also heavily trained in content optimization techniques. He has spent significant time as an SEO copywriter and has written numerous optimized press releases.

The Gray Line New York Eat and Play Card $24.99 The Gray Line New York Eat and Play Card

Gray Wolf, Canis Lupus, in Silhouette Against a Fog Bank $39.99 Jim And Jamie Dutcher Gray Wolf, Canis Lupus, in Silhouette Against a Fog Bank - Photographic Print

Bank $10 Bank - WO

The Bank $19.99 The Bank - Poster

Manhattan Comprehensive $89 New York Tour packages from Gray Line New York

Freestyle New York $109 New York Attractions Pass from Gray Line New York

Night Tour Loop $44 The Best New York Night Tour from Gray Line New York.

Midtown Cruise (90-min) $28 NYC Cruises of the harbours and skyline on Gray Line's CitySightseeing Cruises.

Land and Sea $69 NYC bus tours and sightseeing harbor cruises from Gray Line New York.

Downtown Cruise (60-min) Gateway to America $18 Sightseeing cruises of New York on Gray Line's CitySightseeing Cruises. Cruise by the Statue of Liberty, The Brooklyn Bridge and the NYC Skyline.

Classic New York Double-Decker Bus Tour $89 Double decker New York sightseeing bus tours from Gray Line New York.

Brooklyn Loop $44 New York's best Brooklyn bus Tour provided by Gray Line New York.

VIP New York Private Tours (4hrs) $696 Private tour guide in new york from Gray Line New York Sightseeing.

Uptown Loop $44 New York tour of uptown Manhattan on board Gray Line hop on, hop off bus tours.

Revo Cut Bank $159 Revo Cut Bank Sunglasses for Unisex are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Gray/Gunmetal, Red. The style is Rimless and the frame material is Plastic. Cut Bank Revo High Contrast Polarized Serilium Lenses. Element Shed Hydrophobic And Anti-Reflective Lens Coatings. Revo Re-Use Or Eco-Use Frame With Motion-Fit System. Hydrophilic Nose pads And Ear socks. These frames accept prescription lenses.

To the Bank $21.99 To the Bank - T-Shirt

Stackable Gray Plastic Business Bank Cards Case Holder Bag $6.49 Description:This Gray Cards Case is made of durable plastic and it is water resistant.With tree leaves pattern inalying the case. With a plastic screw for easy assembly, and number of the sleeve case can be adjust.This Gray Business Card Holder keeps your cards clean, undamaged, unbent and it fit inside any pocket. Features a finger mark so you easily take out your card.Special design makes this Gray Cars Holder ideal for storing your business cards, bank cards, credit cards, ID and so on. Pocket size, lightweight and quite easy to carry. It's convenient to separate your credit cards from other important items.Capacity: 10PcsSize: 9.3 x 6.3cm approx.Weight: 40g

City Tour in Foreign Languages + All Loops Tour $69 Foreign language bus Tours of New York City in Deutsche (german), Francais (French), Italiano (Italian), or Español (Spanish).

Harlem Gospel Tour (Wednesdays) $55 Gospel tour New York, Harlem, Churches and many more.

United Nations Tour $16 A guided tour of the United Nations, with a brief overview of the Organization.

The Hamptons, Sag Harbor & Shopping Day Trip $149 Tours of the Hamptons via bus from New York City.

Statue of Liberty + Empire State Building $35 Ferry ticket to the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Visit 2 of New York City's greatest attractions at a great price!

Empire State Building Observatory Tickets $21 Tickets to the Empire State Building Observation deck for a panoramic view of New York City.

Statue of Liberty + Top of The Rock $35 The Top of the Rock Observation deck ticket and a ferry ticket to the Statue of Liberty.

Empire State Building + NY Skyride $43 Tickets to the Empire State building observation deck and the NY Skyride, NYC's only virtual tour simulator.

Madame Tussauds New York Wax Museum $39 Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York City, tickets and information.

Freedom Trail Boston Tours from New York $149 Boston day trips from New York, NYC

All Loops Tour with Top of The Rock $76 New York Tour package of Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn and Night tours plus ticket to The Top of The Rock Observation deck.

Washington D.C. - Bus Tours from New York $149 Washington DC day trips from New York City.

Circle Line Cruises - The Beast $24 Circle line sightseeing cruises the beast!

Harlem Gospel Tour (Sundays) $55 The best Harlem gospel tour in New York City.

Circle Line Harbor Cruises - 3 Hours $36 Circle Line 3hr Harbor Cruises of New York City.

Manhattan Helicopters : Classic Manhattan Tour $160 Manhattan Helicopters : Classic Manhattan Tour

National September 11 Memorial $10000 National September 11 Memorial

NYC Tribute Tour $99 9/11 Memorial tours NYC. Get your tickets here to enjoy admission to the Ground Zero Memorial, visit to the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, Ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and 72 hours of Hop-On, Hop-Off double-decker fun.

Manhattan Helicopters : VIP Manhattan Tour $260 Manhattan Helicopters : VIP Manhattan Tour

New-York Historical Society Museum and Library $15 New-York Historical Society Museum and Library

Tribute WTC Visitor Center $1000 Tribute WTC Visitor Center