In the past few years, Google have been refining the way they identify the websites that searchers want to see. They do this through search algorithms that have become increasingly more complex, and more and more difficult to "game".
Historically though, there have always been people who have tried (and succeeded) to manipulate search engines.
Is Black Hat SEO dead?
Webmasters that trick Google into thinking their website deserves to outrank others in their field through frowned-upon search optimization techniques are labelled "black hat".
And there is a belief that, as Google becomes more advanced, the opportunities and loopholes for these "black hat SEO experts" to game the system are becoming fewer and further between.
During the latest Blurtit Google Hangout on Air, SEO experts Sean Clark and Duncan Johnson shared their opinions on whether black hat SEO is still effective, or whether Google have finally stamped it out.
Check out the snippet below to gain some valuable insight:
