When someone searches for something on the internet, they expect to find relevant results that match their query. Search engines like Google work hard to provide users with the best possible information. However, some website owners try to manipulate the system to get more visitors. One of the techniques that they use is “Cloaking”.
Did You Know?
Search engines like Google can detect when a website is using deceptive practices like cloaking and penalize it by lowering its ranking or even removing it from search results entirely!
In this article, we will break down what Cloaking is and why it gets used.
What Does Cloaking Entail?
Cloaking refers to a practice in which a website shows different content to search engines than it does to regular users. A better way of explaining this would be a store that looks amazing from the outside. But after stepping in you realize that it is completely different from what it seemed before. That’s what Cloaking does for websites.
For example, a site may display relevant and useful information when a search engine visits it. While, for a user, the same page displays low-quality content with unrelated ads. This tricks the search engines into ranking them higher on SERP (search engine result pages) than they deserve. This trickery proves unfair to the other websites that follow the rules.
Why Do People Use Cloaking?
People make use of Cloaking for a lot of different reasons. The primary reason being to boost a website’s ranking in the search engine result pages. Here are a few motivations for websites implementing the Cloaking method:
Having Higher Rankings
By using the Cloaking method, websites show search engines that they meet the guidelines. This makes the site rank higher and attracts more visitors.
Getting Increased Traffic
Getting more visitors means more opportunities of getting paid through ads and sales.
Promoting Unrelated Products
Cloaking helps to promote services and products which have very little to do with the content which the users expect.
Gaining Competitive Edge
There are a few website owners who want to get ahead of their competitors, even if it means breaking rules.
Types Of Cloaking
There are several ways of implementing Cloaking. Here is a list of some of the more common types:
IP-Based Cloaking
This method serves different content all depending on a user’s IP address. If a visitor visits from a known search engine then they might see one version of the page, while everyone else sees it differently.
JavaScript Cloaking
There are a few websites which use Javascript for showing different content according to whoever is visiting. If a search engine bot is able to read JavaScript while a user can’t, this leads to a Cloaking situation.
User-Agent Cloaking
This is the most common type of Cloaking. it detects whether the visitor is a regular user or a search engine bot and shows content based on that. For example, a bot might see an informative article while everyone else would see something else.
Dangers Of Cloaking
While Cloaking does seem like an easy way of gaining visibility, it also has a lot of associated risks. Some of them are:
Loss Of User Trust
If a user discovers that they have been misled, then they might lose trust in that website. This ends up hurting a brand’s reputation and leads to less number of visitors over time.
Search Engine Penalties
Search Engines have very strict guidelines against using Cloaking. If caught, a website gets penalized. This leads to a drop in rankings and even removal from search results completely.
Poor User Experience
Cloaking results in a poor user experience for the users who are looking for genuine information. This leads to a higher number of bounce rates where visitors quickly exit the site.
Legal Action
In some instances, using deceptive practices could lead to legal action. This is even more so if consumer protection laws are violated.
Alternatives To Cloaking Method
Instead of using deceptive practices like Cloaking, use these legitimate strategies for your site to increase your website SEO:
Keyword Research
Make use of keyword research tools to find terms which your audience are activey looking for. Then optimize your content around these keywords only without resorting to any tricks.
Quality Content
Focus only on creating relevant and high quality content which truly meets user experience. This is the most useful way of attracting new visitors.
Link Building
Try building relationships with other sites to score backlinks. Getting high quality backlinks can improve your website’s rankings and authority.
On-Page SEO
Improve your website’s title tags, website structure, headings and meta descriptions. This will help search engines to understand your content better.
User Experience
You need to ensure that your website is easy to navigate, fast-loading and mobile friendly. A positive user-experience encourages people to stay on the site longer and explore more.
In Conclusion,
Cloaking seems like an attractive shortcut for gaining online visibility. Even then it is a risky and unethical practice that leads to severe consequences. Search Engines prioritize user experience and transparency, and Cloaking undermines both of them. Instead you should resort to Cloaking. Website owners should focus on legitimate strategies for improving SEO.
Always know that the best way to rise in search engine rankings is to follow the rules and prioritize the needs of your audience. Take the right approach to SEO and avoid cloaking! For more expert advice and tips on ethical SEO practices, contact Entrepot Media today.
