Search engine optimization is ever evolving subject and there are many techniques and strategies to ensure better search engine rankings. There are good techniques that are used in compliance with search engine guidelines and policies and there are bad techniques that do not follow any rule.

The only intent of all such practices is to take the website to the top of search engine rankings. If you own a website or blog and are responsible for search engine optimization then you must understand the difference between the White Hat SEO and Black Hat SEO.

The reason you need to understand White Hat SEO (also called ethical SEO practices) is to be able to apply it optimally and the reason to understand Black Hat SEO (also called unethical SEO practices) is to stay away from it completely.

Anyone getting into the game of SEO for the first time might find Black Hat SEO techniques very lucrative since people offering such expertise often come up with offers that look like shortcut to the higher rankings.

Unethical practitioners are devising unethical techniques to deceive the search engine algorithms since ages but such techniques are always short lived. Such unethical SEO practices are often caught very soon by the search engines scientists.

The difference between black hat SEO and white hat SEO has to do with the techniques used when trying to improve a website's search engine ranking. Black hat SEO refers to techniques and strategies used to get higher search rankings, and breaking search engine rules.

Black hat SEO is basically means that obtaining SEO targets through illegal ways. Whereas, white hat SEO means following all procedures and guidelines defined for correctly performing SEO.