Black Hat SEO refers to unethical and manipulative practices used to improve a website's search engine ranking. These tactics violate search engine guidelines and often result in penalties when discovered. Black Hat SEO techniques prioritize quick gains over long-term sustainability and can harm a website's reputation.
Examples of Black Hat SEO practices include keyword stuffing, cloaking (showing different content to search engines and users), link farming (creating artificial links), and using hidden text or links. Search engines like Google actively combat Black Hat SEO to maintain the integrity of their search results.
Engaging in Black Hat SEO can lead to a website being deindexed or losing its search engine ranking, making it important for businesses and website owners to focus on ethical, White Hat SEO practices to achieve sustainable growth.