Bad Guys Always Wear Black Hats

Since the mid-nineties, search engine marketers have been looking for the "magic bullet" that gets their company (or client) into the coveted top spot in search engine results. For that same period of time, I've been telling everyone that will listen that it's not about beating the search engine algorithms with black hat tactics; it's about sound marketing strategies. In October 2004, Defining Your Search Philosophy, I discussed the concept of white hat vs. black hat, in terms of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. White hatters (like How to Build a Search Engine-Friendly Web Site, I outline the fundamentals of Web site design, which is often short-circuited by black-hatters and marketers over-eager to hit traffic goals. There are Web site development basics that can aid in search visibility AND enhance the user experience, which is outlined in my article,

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