Although there are many different ways that this can be done, the most commonly used is hidden text manipulation. This happens when the optimizer who is trying to gain high rankings will end up stuffing codes with particular words into the site. Normally these sites don’t even hold the information that they will pull up in a search result, making the consumer go to a site that they thought was right, but is not.

Link spamming is also used to achieve a high search engine ranking. Many will join artificial link schemes with excessive link exchanges. Their hope is that it will increase the presence of their website, whether it is what the consumer is looking for or not.

No matter what search engine you are working with, they all have rules and regulations that are disclosed in there terms services page. Most of these Black Hat techniques go against these guidelines in major ways. Try checking on Google’s spam guidelines to make sure that you avoid these bad techniques.

While using SEO, there really is a very fine line between using White Hat, or good techniques, and using Black Hat techniques. Not ever Black Hat technique will void the terms and services of the search engine, but keep in mind that it doesn’t make it a good idea that you business use them anyway. They can still be harmful.

Of course many like to take shortcuts when they are first opening up a business. They want results, and they want them fast. These people forget the main goal that is in mind, which is to open a business that will be successful on the long term level. Because it’s safer to use White Hat techniques, that’s what we always recommend working with. Don’t put yourself into a situation where you use the other techniques and it puts your business in a bad spot down the road.

As time goes by, search engines are being built to be smarter. With this intelligence is the ability for them to sense these schemes. It is becoming increasingly hard to pull off a Black Hat technique. It will be a waste of time and energy on your part if you do attempt it.

Overall using the White Hat techniques may take a bit longer, but will be far more beneficial over a long term period of time. Our company looks this way when working on SEO

SEO Advantages:

When looking into these two methods, you will immediately notice differences in the two types of strategies. For starters, users are more likely to click on original search results that appear on the first page of their search results, rather than the paid listings that are advertised. Mainly the reason for this is that users are more likely to trust natural listings since they can’t be bought, and are less likely to be manipulated.

Also consider that SEO will not only get traffic to your site, but will result in you getting traffic that is targeted for your specific audience. Unlike media’s that may create an interruption, people who use the search engines are looking for something particular when they search.

While using the SEO method, you are able to tailor your site to create a message that you will be delivering to users which is based on the keywords that they are typing in when performing a search. Google as well as other search engines allow you to get more than one page listed on the first page of their results, so this will offer you the opportunity to deliver two messages at one time.

If you are using the right strategy, SEO will deliver a massive long term return on investment, rather than the pay per click method. When using pay per click, the results will stop immediately at the end of the campaign, while the organic listings ranks will stay stable.

SEO Disadvantages:

The process of organic SEO is a very time consuming task that can take months to achieve. On the other hand, PPC advertising is a much quicker way to achieve results. If you are looking at a short term situation, PPC will be more effective because of its faster results.

Also consider that SEO results can often be unpredictable, so the dependency of SEO can be a very risky thing. Keep in mind that there are seasonal variations, and that the search engines to fluctuate over time. SEO is a project that needs to be maintained on a regular basis for the first few months so that the results will become more stable over a period of time.

Conclusion

All in all, the best solution would be to combine both the strategies into one. The long term benefits of SEO will always be the most cost effective way to build and advertise your business, and also to receive the targeted traffic that you need. PPC strategies can also be used keeping in mind that you need to take a careful analysis of ROI. Try to focus on the testing as well as the conversion of your PPC campaign while using it.

In the end, don’t forget that you can’t forget about all the other marketing channels that can be used. Don’t use SEO and exclude any other form of marketing, since the ultimate goal is to optimize every part of your business for long term success.