SEO Ethics: Which Hat To Wear
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There are many ways to optimize your website so that it ranks highly in the major search engines. Not all of them, however, are considered ethical. Then again, there are some SEO professionals who believe that ethics don't even enter the equation. Who is right? Wayne Hurlbert discusses "white hat," "black hat," and "grey hat" SEO ethics, and the reasoning behind each stance. If you care about how your website is perceived by the search engines, read on.
Search engine optimization (SEO) ethics are often discussed, but rarely defined in any meaningful ways. Website owners often hear about the so-called “white hat” and “black hat” SEO professionals. A few webmasters are even aware of some undefined “grey hat” SEO techniques, and their practitioners as well.
There are no hard and fast rules for what these regularly used terms mean, if anything, in the world of high search engine rankings. It’s time to consider whether the categories retain any real meaning, or if ethics even has any role in the practice of SEO.
From the very beginning, we must understand that the issues involved are very complicated, and highly subjective. What is good “ethical” SEO to one person might be stooping to the deepest depths of evil to another. Defining “good,” “bad” and “best” practices is at best aiming at an undefined moving target. At worst, it is an impossibility due to the lack of complete knowledge of the search engines and their respective algorithms.
Any discussion of search engine ethics requires a definition of the various “hats” so everyone knows what the writer considers ethical, grey area, and entirely unethical in SEO practice. Definitions, no matter how loosely described, provide a framework for further discussion and debate. Some SEO practitioners don’t believe there are any ethical distinctions at all.
Any analysis of SEO ethics must include the goals of the various website owners. One consideration is the willingness to assume the risk of search engine penalty or even outright website banning. Another is the relative competitiveness of the keywords and keyword phrases being contested. A third and important consideration is whether or not the website owner would rather compete without bending, let alone breaking, any ethical rules or guidelines at all.
The goal of any search engine optimization effort for any website owner, regardless of ethics, is to achieve high rankings. That coveted number one spot on the first page of all major search engines is an alluring bauble. Like any treasure, everyone with varying degrees of desire wants to have it in their grasp.
Whether for increased traffic, sales and revenue, or purely for ego gratification, webmasters employ widely varying methods to reach those lofty heights. Some of those techniques might be frowned upon by others. As a result, an examination of ethics and whether or not they are important in search engine optimization is very important.
Next: Which hat do you wear? >>
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