In this series, we examine ways your content can get your website stuck on Google’s bad side. Last time, we talked about thin content. This time, we look at cloaking. The cloaking SEO tactic can get you in a lot of trouble if done from a “black hat” perspective.
This technique may help you improve your search engine rankings in the short term. However, it runs counter to Google’s terms of service. Did you know if Google catches you using cloaking, you could face severe penalties?
In this post, we define cloaking, how it works, and why you should avoid using it.
Cloaking Defined
Cloaking allows you to show different content to search engines than what you show to users. Done in a variety of ways, the most common reason attempts to improve your search engine rankings, the “black hat” or wrong way according to Google.
How Does Cloaking Work?
When a user visits your website, their browser sends a request to your server. Your server then looks at the user’s IP address and distinguishes them as a search engine bot or a real user.
If the server identifies the user as a search engine bot, it sends them different content than what it would send to a real user. This keyword-optimized content intends for your website to rank higher for those keywords.
Why You Should Avoid Cloaking
Why should you avoid cloaking? Cloaking violates Google’s terms of service. If you get caught using it, you could face severe penalties from Google, including banishment from their search engine.
In addition, users can detect cloaking, which can lead to a negative user experience. Finally, cloaking proves difficult to implement correctly, so why take the risk?
If interested in improving your search engine rankings, plenty of effective “white hat” techniques exist that you can use. They also fall within Google’s guidelines.
Some white-hat SEO tactics include creating high-quality content, optimizing your website for users, and building backlinks from high-quality websites. White hat cloaking does exist as seen in this post on Moz, but you should know the differences.
These techniques may take longer to see results, but they prove more sustainable in the long run and helps you avoid any penalties from Google.
Avoid cloaking (and other SEO villains) and stick to white-hat SEO tactics. If you need help with your content and staying in line with Google’s policies, UpLift wants to help.
