What is white hat SEO? What are the best white hat SEO techniques in 2023

Website owners have recently been affected by a large number of search engine upgrades, both announced and unannounced.

What works now, you might be wondering. What is the most secure strategy to allocate your marketing budget for the long- and short-term expansion of your website?

I can say from experience that the finest and safest SEO tactic is what is known as white hat SEO.

We will look at the modern definition of white hat SEO in this article, comprehend its importance, and learn about the nine most important white hat SEO strategies that are still effective today and in the future.

What exactly is White Hat SEO?

The phrase white hat in SEO refers to any strategies that abide with the policies and standards of the top search engines as well as those of its users. White hat SEO is most likely what you're doing if you're not attempting to deceive, subvert, or outwit the search engine ranking algorithm.

Not always has this been the desired course of action. Many website owners made their first significant profits in the early, crazier days of search engine optimization and affiliate digital marketing by using dubious techniques like keyword stuffing, invisible text, and links spamming.

What has changed, then? Why has white hat SEO gained traction? There are several solutions.

Also, worth reading: Best side hustles for introverts

Why is it Important?

White hat SEO was excruciatingly slow to start functioning and reliant on criteria that Google and other big search engines were highly secretive about. Black hat SEO strategies, on the other hand, previously promised guaranteed gains in website traffic from search engine results provided you understood what tactics to apply.

But recently, a flood of new technology, search criteria, and openness have made white hat SEO approaches more promising than black-hat SEO tactics.

Right now, we know what search engines are looking for. We also know which white hat SEO techniques adhere to these guidelines.

White hat SEO techniques are less dangerous overall, but it is only one factor. Black-hat SEO techniques like article spinning and hijacked links no longer guarantee the same gains as they formerly did.

Although there are numerous advantages to choose white hat SEO techniques over black hat SEO, this does not suggest that merely abiding by the rules is sufficient. Including a term in the headline or subheadings is no longer sufficient.

For website owners wanting to rank on search engine results, certain advice and white hat SEO approaches are just more successful.

Here are the nine tactics that will have the largest impact in 2023.

There are nine White Hat SEO techniques that are effective

It's crucial to comprehend not just which strategies work but also how to execute them effectively so that they have the most impact on your situation.

Put quality content first

White hat SEO techniques. Create high-quality content.

Previously, content was king; now, it depends on who or what surpasses a monarch. In any event, the content of your website is one of the key elements that search engines use when determining where to rank your website, and many experts predict that it will continue to grow in importance.

But it's not as easy as merely producing good pertinent material. The content of your website is evaluated by Google's search engine results using a variety of signals, such as:

Topic Distribution,
Links (and their anchors),
Length,
Age.

Every time you publish a piece of content, you should prepare ahead to ensure that you have enough knowledge to fill it with useful information. And both white hat SEO and black hat SEO apply here.

You want others to connect to your material, so it needs to be compelling and credible. This will play a significant role in a technique we'll talk about later.

A page, a collection of pages, or an entire website can be developed using high-quality content as the driving force. But material takes a long time to develop; occasionally, even the finest content takes three to five months.

It should go without saying that your website must fulfill the intentions of your users. That's something you need to concentrate on no matter what approach you're employing, as the next item will show.

Fulfill the user's intent

The user intent phrase refers to Google's search engine crawler's long-standing obsession with providing search results that more closely reflect users' intentions. This has essentially replaced white hat SEO.

Every update has focused on increasing the variety and precision of the variables used to infer user intent. There are now countless such signals, and they don't require much input to locate your website anywhere in the internet universe.

Everything you do should be centered on matching the purpose of visitors who are coming to your site via online search engines, from your content to your site structure and graphics.

To do this, a number of methods are employed. First, think about where your website fits in the purchasing process. Do your customers want to learn more? To persuade someone of what they already desire? To buy something right now?

You should follow the advice in the response while creating your website. The majority of your content should center on it if the response is information. When they land, the product should immediately come into focus if they desire to buy.

Emphasizing on mobile first

If your website hasn't been changed to prioritize mobile quality, you're lagging behind. When Google initially introduced a mobile-friendly badge in 2016 to direct users toward information that could be readily read on phone devices, mobile search results became more prominent.

New recommendations for acceptable content (picture samples are given in the above link), display advertisements, and email opt-in pop-ups accompanied this warning. Without taking mobile consumers into account, a website's content might suffer from it in general.

Fortunately, creating a mobile-friendly website is not that difficult. You may check to make sure your website isn't being penalized using Google's own mobile-friendly test tool and identify the areas where you need to make adjustments. [3]

It's true that web design isn't a kind of white hat SEO, but knowing its significance and making sure your site complies with Google's criteria are.

Another audience that needs special consideration also pertains to mobile users. You must protect your Google My Business listing since local intent is becoming more and more important.

Register Your Local Business (GMB)

The Google algorithm is continually working to match user intent by displaying locally relevant search engine results pages (SERPs). Users who are seeking for restaurants, home services, or outdoor recreation don't necessarily want to view search results that are hundreds of miles away.

You might be surprised to learn that's a lot more searches. According to recent data, 82% of smartphone customers used "near me" searches.

For the majority of websites and companies, prioritizing local searchers is a significant potential because it allows them to dominate a much smaller market. It increases your chances of success. Claim the GMB page for your business to maximize the benefits of these searches.

When GMBs are claimed, they show up in a unique box called the Map Pack that sits above Google's search engine results page. All relevant companies' actual locations are displayed to searchers, and each profile contains information like the company' address, phone number, ratings, pricing, and website URL.

Applying for your GMB and completing the confirmation processes are the only requirements for claiming it.

Although creating a dedicated entry point for local searchers is a terrific method to enhance user experience, taking a broader perspective allows you to do much more.

Prioritize user experience (UX)

addressing calls for an improved website One way that white hat SEO strategies have surpassed black hat SEO strategies in recent years is through UX. Google can now recognize (and penalize) poor site experiences thanks to a wide variety of signals.

In conclusion, they were able to tell whether a website was providing a poor user experience even in the past thanks to indicators like bounce rates. You don't even need to be an SEO expert to agree that a user's needs aren't being addressed if they abandon a site right away.

Because it affects every aspect of the website, building for UX has historically been more challenging. However, as part of its expanding transparency initiative, Google published a sizable UX guide that details several standards.

Implementing these recommendations as you continue to develop your website will make site UX a priority.

Since the early days of search engines, the definition of exceptional user experience hasn't altered much, but the next technique has a considerably more turbulent past. The major field of conflict between black hat SEO and search engines has been keywords.

Perfect keyword research

You would receive quite different replies if you asked an SEO what it meant to use keywords correctly in 2009 compared to current year. Our current keyword research methods have undergone a significant change.

As the primary tool for altering early algorithms, keywords have undergone several important alterations as a result.

The outdated method of selecting a group of keywords and then scattering them over the web is now defunct. Simple terms no longer provide results in Google's search engine.

To decide if particular phrases are being used responsibly, genuinely, and with care for the needs of the user, it instead takes into account the full constellation of signals around those terms.

The term "keywords" no longer refers to a single term, but rather to the entire set of terms that are used in a certain niche, including lengthier sentences that indicate use purpose and context.

Use them all, organically, and make sure they relate to the issues being introduced are the methods used to use keywords effectively. Campaigns are using keyword research tools in innovative ways. Any website, including blogs and commercial websites, has to be seen holistically.

For the keyword research, I suggest utilizing Serpstat

The keyword research is important white hat SEO tactic. Learn how to conduct keyword research for better results in SEO with Serpstat

Target keyword research is still crucial in contemporary SEO, but it requires time, the right tools, and a gentle touch. It should be a component of a bigger plan, like our next point.

Prioritize content marketing

One more of the key elements influencing search results is content marketing. Imagine it as the authority, reputation, and longer longevity you provide to your high-quality material. The good news for bloggers is that this is one of the white hat SEO techniques, which is also one of the tips that SEO newbies sometimes overlook.

It entails putting top-notch content in front of the appropriate audience, who are ideally potential clients or consumers. Social media sharing, links, publication on authoritative websites, or direct mailing lists delivery are all ways to do this.

There is a correct method to approach all of this, and it isn't SEO-based; rather, it centers on identifying the appropriate audience. Start with excellent content that has been well studied for keywords and is onsite optimized. Be courteous and helpful to the individuals who wish to promote it to their own audiences, and have a repeatable method for doing so on your own social media accounts. Also, Neil Patel discusses this. Gaining backlinks and content marketing go hand in hand with guest blogging.

In order to position oneself as an authority, concentrate on writing material about topics you are knowledgeable about. Create connections with the individuals who promote your material so that you don't merely nag them when it needs a little attention. reciprocate when they want assistance.

Relationships are the foundation of effective content marketing, and building them honestly may take time. The next method, fortunately, proceeds much more quickly.

Implement Schema Markup

Although Google's algorithm is strong and depends on several parameters, it is not magical. Like any piece of code, it occasionally has problems comprehending the context of certain pieces of information or even what it is looking at.

By arranging the data on your website with schema markup, you may provide Google's search engine more information about the content being given and the context in which it is being done so. This goes much beyond mere page names and meta descriptions.

You may inform Google, for instance, that you are providing a post with a recipe, a video, or a certain kind of data.

To inform Google about the Facebook and Twitter profiles linked to your company, utilize the schema meta tag attributes.

Your website's use of structured data provides you a clear edge over competitors who don't. Google urges SEO professionals to utilize it and has written a detailed guide regarding how and when to do so.

Given that Google has increased the use of rich snippets, schema has gained even greater significance. You have a considerably better chance of getting your material selected for rich results in certain categories if you use schema.

The last strategy, link building, is gradually overtaking other strategies as one of the most crucial.

Good Link Building

Then what exactly is link building? One of the white hat SEO toolkit's procedures that is most susceptible to failure is link building. A site without any links will plod rather than sprint to the top of search results, making links crucial. However, it's simple to go overboard.

What makes a link-building plan effective? The phrase "white hat" A commitment to SEO entails working hard to obtain relevant backlinks from trustworthy websites. These links have various anchor texts and are made to last.

Most links will originate from the articles or other materials you write for other websites or their viewers.

This is obviously not a straightforward process. You will need to send out a lot of emails to the partners you carefully choose. You will still need to make several pitches and carefully control the rate at which you accept and obtain fresh links pointing to your website.

White hat SEO techniques aren't simple, but they do provide results, which is all that matters.

Fortunately, once you have the correct knowledge, this isn't too tough. Putting together an excellent writing team to manage your outreach is not difficult. Picking high-quality connections wisely and then making money from them is not a nightmare either.

Being discerning and caring about what your audience shares with the audience of the individuals you link to allows you to stay on the good side of the law.

A sidenote about sponsored guest posting

Of course, many of you will look for techniques and ways to strengthen the result of all above-mentioned techniques. One of the best ways to do this may be sponsored guest posting. But what are limitations and thing to consider if you are going to use this tactic:

It shouldn’t be the only source of backlinks for you.
You still need to create great content for guest post you are going to submit. Otherwise, you will just waste money.
You must choose websites carefully. Firstly take into account their traffic and relevancy.

To simplify the process, you can use PRposting

Frequently Asked Questions about white hat tactics in SEO (FAQ)

What is white hat in SEO?

Following search engine recommendations is known as doing "white hat" SEO. And you put your attention on delivering value to people rather than attempting to influence search engine algorithms.

A black hat SEO Technique: What Is It?

In order to improve a website's or page's ranking in search engine results, black hat SEO techniques are employed. This entails employing strategies that go against Google's terms of service, such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, PBNs, gateway sites, etc.

Grey Hat SEO Technique: What Is It?

Between black hat SEO and white hat SEO, grey hat SEO is a digital marketing strategy. These actions fall into a grey area since they aren't categorically categorised by Google's standards as either good or negative.