Do you know what it takes to create an effective blog? It’s actually the combination of white hat and black hat SEO. How come? Simply because it is a product of science and art. White hat SEO are techniques which have been proven to give long term benefits to your site or blog, while the black hat methods tend to experiment beyond what white hat methods provide. However, just like any game, you tend to break some laws and rebel (with a cause) against the authorities when you proceed on applying black hat techniques on your blog. By the word “authorities” I refer to search engines, since they are the ones who have the power to ban those sites they find violating their rules.

But how do black hat SEO became “black hat” in the first place? Just like black magic, black hat SEO provides sites with instant benefits. However, these benefits do not last for long not because the magic is losing effect, rather the law prohibits them to continue functioning. Hence, if you apply black hat SEO ways on your blog, do not expect your blog to exist for a long term basis, since search engines can have it banned sooner or later.

Black hat SEO is born whenever a white hat technique begins to lose its touch and cease to be effective as it was once. Black hat techniques offer new ideas, as well as more opportunities to take advantage of making more money over the web. However, since the effects of these techniques vary per situation, they cannot be relied on to provide the same results to all sites and blogs. This also poses a risk on your blog in the long run, since you are experimenting on something the SEO community has not yet accepted to be valid, no matter how effective your discovery can be. Hence, while the theory is under observation by the “experts”, it would fall under black hat SEO until proven beneficial and not violative of any search engine law.

“Is it worth it to venture on black hat SEO on my blog?”

The questions highly depends on a number of factors, namely:

  1. are you a newbie in the online business
  2. is your current business blog not working after following all possible white hat SEO?
  3. you are desperate of getting high traffic into your blog

When you are a newbie in the online business, it is of course recommended that you use white hat techniques so that your blog will be recognized as a clean, legitimate web page and not a spam creation. Nowadays there are a lot of splogs (automatically generated blogs made solely to generate more links and traffic to a certain specified site) that exist, and most of them contain senseless content. If your new blog looks like this, then for sure search engines would certainly qualify it for termination.

What you can do then is try using some subtle black hat SEO while at the same time come up with quality content on your blog. These subtle black hat techniques include keyword stuffing and article spinning, for as long as your readers enjoy your entries and provide positive comments and reviews then there’s nothing much to worry.

When you have observed that following the current white hat strategies do not work on your blog, for sure you would be thinking of new ways to make your blog incur more traffic. This usually becomes a ground for black hat SEO to thrive. But before doing so, you must review your whole blog first. Better yet, ask someone to proofread your entries. There must be something wrong with your posts, such as unsatisfactory content, or a boring web template, or your page is overstuffed with ads. It is a must that you resolve these problems first before resorting to black hat SEO, since we all know that white hat methods guarantee long term effects and lengthen the life of your blog.

If none of the possible white hat SEO techniques have given positive effects on your blog-despite your entries being of quality content, then you can try using black hat methods as they are, in a way, a form of first aid. One thing to remember is not to overuse these methods-just use one technique at a time. Using all of them simultaneously will only make your blog attractive to search engine and that’s something you cannot afford. And do not use them on a regular basis. After achieving the results that you want, go back to using white hat SEO full time.

Finally, since you expose your blog to risks when divulging on black hat SEO, you must first weigh the value of your blog. Are you in search of quick, big cash for a temporary basis or you are looking for a long term, stable income? If you made your blog for the sole purpose of getting instant money, then it would probably be fine with you if Google terminates it eventually (as long as you get your money). But if you rely on your blog for long term business, then having it shut down is a big no-no. Hence, before doing anything else to your blog, better come up with a sound decision first.

Author bio:  James Chesson, marketer of   Stancespice.com

James works as a marketer for a famous car company. He’s interested in enhancement of the auto specifications with the help of car parts made on individualized orders. James considers solving technical problems the main priority.