Hedir Review : OPINION POLL::Black hat SEO

baggeroli · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:15 pm Post subject: OPINION POLL::Black hat SEO

What do we do with black-hat SEO sites? Check this out. Classic case of hidden keyword-stuffing. Although it's aimed at SE's, I don't think we should allow it. Eventually, Google will penalize this kind of SEO and HEDIR shouldn't link to penalized sites.

ADAC · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:51 pm Post subject:

I agree. Linking to bad sites may eventually cause a problem . I would expect them to clean up the site poss ably from the recommendations in the reviews before recommending to HEDIR

lakhya · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Posts: 473 15238 Hedir Points

I believe that sites listed in hedir should be selected based on the overall value they offer to their targeted visitors. Also, it takes people with some knowledge of search engine functioning to detect signs of black hat tactics. For most people it does not mean anything. If the visitor gets what he/she needs then that site is useful for him/her.

But i do not want to pass a verdict. Let hedir community decide. I am opening an opinion poll here.

CTPhil · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 4:55 am Post subject:

I didn't vote because the definition of black hat is so subjective. Is going a little overboard with keywords really "black hat", or just poor SEO? Is the webmaster just trying to make sure he is noticed by the search engines or is he out to deceive them?

Brett · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 6:40 am Post subject:

i'm pretty much a newbie to the community at HEDIR. what's good in SEO for a website and what's bad, it's a gray area. never one hundred percent. google doesn't seem to penalize, but won't reward such cases. hmmm. maybe take an overall look at the sites submitted, giving the benefit of the doubt, as to how they would help the net. but in this case, it's bad, cloaking, baaaddddd. there are other ways.....SEO's know that.... HEDIR should perhaps not risk it, as to become a valueable resource for SE's.

baggeroli · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:56 am Post subject:

Like brett says, this is a classic, old school case! Don't allow it!

msealey · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 12:39 pm Post subject:

Good comment Brett. I think every case is individual. It should be a policy to have no 'black hat' sites, but it would have to be clear, very clear, that it's intentional, not just some bloke who's read a book on SEO for his website, tried to copy what they said, and then created a mess.

One of my customers wanted me to cover his site in keywords, ten foot thick. But once I showed him how pointless it was, and how it's pushes people away from the site, he changed his mind.

My point is that we have to be absolutely certain that it is black hat SEO. It might be worth asking the site submitter to change the problems with the site, much as when we recommend that changes be made to HTML mistakes, some of the genuine people out there actually go and correct them.

Does that make sense? Confused

millovic · Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 92 2742 Hedir Points

yea, that does make sense msealy. but how do you know that the site did or didnot do black hat seo? my suggestion is make a list of such common black tricks and tell people that sites that do such tricks will not be allowed.

Edmond Dantès · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 3:23 pm Post subject:

We will penalize this kind of SEO!! Shocked

msealey · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 4:52 pm Post subject:

Good point millovic, but a warning to change, and then see the result may be worth it. Perhaps have a an area that such sites are put into, a quarantine forum, and if they change the site, it can be moved back to the submitted sites for review forum.

ADAC · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 5:20 pm Post subject:

so does that mean some one is going to check in the future, after they've cleaned up the site and have been added to the directory, to make sure they don't put it right back?

baggeroli · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 5:21 pm Post subject:

And another good point

msealey · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:28 pm Post subject:

That maybe true. But for a person who is going to go to the effort to change the site, hopefully for the better, I'd be surprised that they'd go and undo all that they had done. It's possible, but probably unlikely.

Also, if there was that much work involved, I doubt they'd waste their time to get listed on the directory, unless HEDIR becomes the new DMOZ.

baggeroli · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:37 pm Post subject:

I think the above example is a clear case of intentional black hat SEO. Keywords hidden with CSS! That can't be accidental IMO.

msealey · Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 6:21 am Post subject:

Which is a fair comment, and I agree with you. But if a policy is to be created about this, it needs to be fair. We need more opinions on the whole subject which might give us some excellent suggestions on how HEDIR can deal with this problem.