Online visibility experts have probably heard of the expression known as blackhat SEO. Blackhat SEO embraces a collection of strategies deployed to increase a website's or page's ranking in search engine results, but through methods that violate the search engines' terms of service.

Essentially, blackhat SEO is a quickfire approach that may get your site to the forefront of search results quickly. However, these tactics are often seen as unethical, and search engines like Google can heavily penalize sites found using them.

An infamous blackhat technique is overusing keywords. This involves loading a webpage with keywords or numbers to game a site's ranking in Google search rankings. They might be in more info a list, cluster, out of context, or overlaid on the background.

Establishing link farms is another common method. Here, websites are tied together in a circular network to improve the rank of all the sites in the network. However, if a site is linked to from many irrelevant sites, it may also be penalized.

Cloaking is an especially deceptive blackhat method. This involves different content is presented to search engines than to users, effectively redirecting users to different pages aside from their permission.

Despite the potential penalties, why do people use blackhat SEO? The simple answer is: for instant success. These methods give websites the appearance of popularity, boosting them up the search results rapiidly.

However, the advantage is short-lived. Search engines now incorporate sophisticated algorithms that identify these manipulative techniques. Once they're identified, penalties could include lower rankings or even being deleted entirely from the search index.

As a result, many websites are embracing white hat SEO strategies. These are methods that aim to build a website's prominence in legitimate ways. Some methods are creating relevant content that provides useful information to the reader, optimizing website tags, or creating a positive user journey.

So, while blackhat SEO may come across as a quick way to improve your site's visibility, it's a perilous game to play. It's smarter to concentrate whitehat SEO methods, that improve your website through appropriate means, thus providing long-term success.