Appearing in search engine results is crucial to marketing your hearing practice, but there is a right and a wrong way to do it. Black hat SEO is the wrong way to go. It tries to game search engine algorithms, rather than help the search engine user with their questions. Black hat SEO uses dishonest techniques to get you ranking instead of earning the right to rank highly on search engine results pages. Here, we’ll take a look at why you should avoid black hat SEO techniques and what you can do instead!
Why shouldn’t I use black hat techniques?
They provide only short-term results: Some of the strategies below can offer some short-term benefits, but your company depends on long-term exposure to your potential customers, not quick fixes.
You could get deranked. The use of SEO black hat strategies will lead to a reduced search rank. In many cases, when Google changes algorithms to weed out questionable SEO behavior, sites that have enjoyed a good ranking can drop precipitously.
You could get blacklisted: Search engines will change their algorithms regularly, so that black hat techniques no longer work, and the search engines might even boot sites off entirely if they are repeat offenders.
Common Black hat strategies to avoid
Keyword stuffing
If you tried to rank for “hearing aids in Chicago,” keyword stuffing may seem like this:
“We have the best hearing aids in Chicago. Explore the various styles of hearing aids in Chicago available at our center. We work with the major manufacturers, so you will be sure to find the hearing aids in Chicago that best work for your needs.”
Before Google’s Panda algorithm update, writing short, “thin” content like this that targets specific keywords could get you ranking. But it’s a different story today.
It is still useful and even essential to use keywords. Nevertheless, keyword density takes a backseat to excellent content that does a thorough job of covering the issues that your future hearing aid customers face every day.
Hidden text
Like invisible ink from days gone by, a website owner or designer using this strategy would make their text color suit their background and go about stuffing keywords in strange positions you wouldn’t notice. Google has become adept in finding black hat SEO marketers doing this, so it’s not a recommended technique.
Spamming blog posts
This refers to posts on unrelated blogs that link back to your website. Black Hat SEOs use this technique to build backlinks to your website, but they’re spammy and of inferior quality. Instead, concentrate on developing partnerships with related sites and offering genuinely helpful advice on blog post comments.
There are many other Black Hat techniques we could talk about, but to identify them yourself, ask yourself this question: Is the method aimed at helping the search engine user? If it isn’t, then it’s likely a black hat SEO technique.
White hat tactics you should use instead
Search engine algorithms have grown more sophisticated over time, so black hat SEO should be avoided at all costs. White Hat SEO is a much better way to optimize for search engines. Although it can take time and effort, it’s a more sensible approach that adheres to search engine terms and guidelines.
Below are some tried and tested SEO techniques you can use.
Create fantastic content that fits the needs of your future customers.
Doing SEO right doesn’t require you to be a technical genius. Like other marketing techniques, a touch of empathy for the search user will go a long way. Ask yourself: What are they looking for? What problems are they trying to solve? Are they seeking help, or are they looking for something to buy?
Create a great user experience on your website
Websites should be easy to use, and they should make the most requested information easiest to access. These tips alone will help improve your hearing practice website.
Acquire quality backlinks
Authoritative inbound links that are organically gained versus paid links are essential elements in your SEO efforts. It takes time and commitment to achieve reliable backlinks. Still, the enormous effect on how you rate in search engine results pages and improved total traffic on pages makes the effort worthwhile.
Do you need help with your white hat SEO campaign? We’ve worked with hundreds of hearing practices to enact a digital marketing campaign that gets them results. Contact us today to see how we can help your practice too.