Similar to the real world, where people are consistently doing the wrong thing, the digital sphere is no different. The majority of website owners play by the rules and implement strategies on their site that drive organic traffic. But what about those who don’t? There are still people out there practicing black hat SEO techniques. These refer to frowned upon methods to boost a site’s rankings among SERPs. These are usually against search engine guidelines and best practices.
They are also known as spammy tactics. Overall, they hurt your site’s performance, and if caught by search engines, they will get your site penalized or even banned.
Which are the most popular Spammy Tactics?
Nowadays, there is a massive chunk of dubious strategies that help increase a site’s ranking, albeit momentarily. They go from lousy typography to poorly executed advertisements like pop-ups. Here are some of the most popular spammy tactics that people find themselves relying on. Some of these tactics include:
– Duplicate content. Your website’s content is the most precious aspect of your SEO campaign. It’s well known that the information you deliver should be valuable and relevant to your target audience, but also original. Using the same content on all your pages will be flagged as spam. This tactic will get your site penalized in no time.
– Keyword stuffing. Keywords are the backbone of any SEO campaign. Without them, your chances of ranking high among the SERPs is low to nonexistent. However, you need to target them appropriately, match them with your site’s content, and place them strategically throughout your site. If you overdo it, you’ll be falling into keyword stuffing. In this practice, people cram up as many keywords as possible in a single piece of content. Doing this will not get you higher rankings and search engines punish it severely.
– Interstitials. These refer to content that blocks or interrupts user experience. Depending on their intrusiveness, they can take many forms. Pop-ups are the most popular and frustrating ones. Hindering users navigating your site with ease will bring serious consequences.