Cloaking in SEO – Black hat SEOs’ “manipulation” tactic

You will hear a lot about cloaking strategies as you learn more about black hat SEO. This is not an honest SEO tactic, and if it is found, Google will undoubtedly penalise the website. Let’s read the article below to learn more about the definition of cloaking.

1. What is Cloaking?

The tactic of cloaking involves disguising material to trick both people and search engines. In other words, on the same display, while the client will see one piece of content, the Google bot will see something entirely different.

The goal of SEO cloaking is to protect material from Google’s examination. Black hat SEOs may simply employ these tactics to boost an article’s ranks on the SERPs page using unethical SEO techniques.

2. What different cloaking methods are there?

There are now 6 popular categories of cloaking methods, which include

2.1 Techniques for obfuscating the user agent

A programme that acts on behalf of the user is known as a user agent. Typically, the browser will proceed to transmit a code to the server to identify the agent when a user does a search query on Google. The specified material will be concealed if the agent is a Google bot rather than a human.

2.2 IP cloaking

Black hat SEOs frequently utilise IP cloaking, which is based on the user’s recorded IP address and involves configuring.htaccess to reroute IP in order to disguise it.

2.3 Javascript cloaking

If the user has a Javascript-compatible browser, this method will be applied. When the user removes Javascript, they will be presented with entirely new material, which you cannot view while Javascript is still active in the browser.

2.4 Cloaking in HTTP

This method looks up the user’s HTTP Accept Language header, and depending on whether it matches, it displays a certain version of the website. To put it another way, a disguised version of the website will be served if the HTTP Acceptance Language header originates from a search engine.

2.5 Referer-based cloaking

You may use this method to safeguard the photographs on your website. Referer-based cloaking will prevent someone from saving an image from you when they try to download one from you; instead, they will receive the default picture that you have installed. a prior setting.

2.6 Session-based Cloaking

The use of this method in remarketing efforts is common. This cloaking strategy will display clients the material that suits their demands in order to increase conversion quality, based on demographic data, IP addresses, and user behaviour on the website.

3. Typical techniques for concealing

• Secret Text

That is, while it may be difficult for consumers to tell when a piece of information uses the same font colour as the backdrop, Google’s Bot can still read it.

• Sites in Flash

White hat Although clients will be able to access other websites, SEOs will develop a non-standard HTML website only for the purpose of delivering information to search engines.

• Substitute Java scripts

This will be accomplished by having other flash material displayed in browsers without Javascript, while the content will display properly in browsers with Javascript turned on.

4. Should SEO cloaking be employed?

Utilising cloaking strategies can increase your ranking faster and provide you more chances to interact with users. However, as was already said, Google strongly forbids using this black hat SEO strategy.

Google’s strict stance on cloaking is due to the fact that it will negatively impact Google’s evaluation and ranking results on the SERPs page. In other words, cloaking will harm brand reputation and negatively impact the user experience while searching on Google by manipulating Google results.

Therefore, the question “Should I use cloaking in SEO?” has been answered. NO is the answer! You can utilise it in your remarketing efforts, with the exception of session-based cloaking (although don’t go overboard with it).

• Google fine for cloaking detection

Google will severely penalise a fake website that uses cloaking tactics. As previously mentioned, Google permanently blocks the majority of cloaking situations from indexing.

Naturally, receiving this “judgement” implies that your website will fully lose its value on Google and will no longer be discoverable by consumers no matter what you do. So use cloaking with caution.