5 Black Hat SEO Tactics You Should Avoid

Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most powerful, essential tools for growing your real estate business online, and it's also a big business in its own right. Many SEO providers offer reputable, white hat SEO services that help grow your business without damaging your reputation, relying on their in-depth knowledge of how search engines work and what Google's algorithms want to see from high-ranked websites.

However, you'll also want to be aware of marketers who try to cheat the system by using black hat SEO tactics, which are ultimately bad for business. Let's take a closer look at five black hat SEO tactics to avoid as you grow your real estate business online.

1. Buying Links

Search engines want to send their users to relevant, reputable websites, so a large number of links back to your site can be a good thing, but only if they are earned links from reliable sources. Unfortunately, many website operators are tricked into buying links that do not come from quality sources, and search algorithms know how to spot a website that has tried to game the system by buying links. It's best to earn your links the old-fashioned way—by networking, creating quality content, and using white hat SEO tactics to help people find what you have to offer.

2. Spinning Blog Posts

Article spinning software takes an existing article, chops it up, replaces words, and allegedly comes up with "new" content that still has SEO benefits. It's a blatant way to cheat the system and plagiarize the work of others. It also produces content that is largely illegible, providing zero value to people who find your website through search engines or other means. If you like content on another website, use it as a starting point for your own post, link back to it, and expand upon it with your own ideas.

3. Keyword Stuffing

Keywords are the terms that people use to search for websites like yours, so it's natural to want to include relevant keywords in your content. However, it's crucial to avoid keyword stuffing—or filling a page with tons of popular keyword phrases to trick search algorithms into thinking your content is relevant. In addition to being bad for SEO, keyword stuffing will keep your content from being readable or relevant.

4. Manipulating Content with Invisible Text

Since keyword stuffing makes content so difficult to read, some website operators will try to hide tons of keywords by making the text the same color as the background. This leads to many of the same problems as regular keyword stuffing and can cause even bigger SEO headaches when Google flags your website for a manual review.

5. Too Many Links, Not Enough Context

Even within your website, it's risky to create too many links without providing proper context. Rather than creating a link directory that's just a long list of keywords and links, try to fit your links into your content naturally. Link to relevant posts or pages that provide background to the content your working on, instead of creating a directory that can open you up for SEO penalties without providing value to your audience.

While black hat SEO tactics are bad for business, the right marketing team can help you expand your online presence with effective, white hat SEO. Contact Delta Media Group to learn more about white hat real estate SEO, as well as all of our marketing services.

To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.