In simple terms, White Hat SEO is used to describe any Search Engine Optimization techniques that are ethically correct, and follow all of the search engine best use guidelines, no short cuts are taken and no "cheating" is involved. Black Hat SEO on the other hand, will use significantly less ethical techniques, many of which are fully capable of seeing a website banned from the major search engines including Google, Yahoo and MSN.

White Hat or Black Hat, which works best?

If you are serious about building a successful website, which will stand the test of time, then White Hat SEO is the only way to go. White Hat techniques are designed to build traffic and Search Engine Ranking Position (SERP) over time, by using a combination of on the page optimization (making sure your website is physically search engine friendly), and off the page optimization (building the link popularity and authority status). The only time that Black Hat techniques should be considered is when you are setting up and promoting a disposable site that is expected to have a short life cycle, Black Hat can help to push as much traffic to the site as possible in the shortest amount of time, the downside is that the site will be banned from every search engine index very quickly, often within hours.

What should I do if I made a mistake and my site is banned?

Some people jump into search engine optimization without doing their homework, and end up committing some kind of offence without knowing it, which finds their site banned from the big three search engines. If this is your situation, then the good news is that you can possibly dig your way out of this hole. First you should work out just what you did to get yourself banned from the likes of Google, and then approach them, explain you have found your mistake, and that you have taken steps to rectify matters, ask if they would re-consider your site for inclusion in their index. For minor infractions this may work. If your offences are more serious, if may make more sense to transfer your website over to a new domain, as the road back from a heavy ban is long and unsure.

Conclusion

Most websites would benefit from an amount of White Hat SEO being performed on their behalf; Black Hat SEO is best left to experts, who are well practiced in generating maximum profit from a site with an expected life of several hours. If you are serious about your website, it is recommended that you take the advice of an expert, as it is very easy to make a mistake and find your site blacklisted due to your ignorance of the rules.

Fergus Sanders is an expert in Search Engine Optimization, having worked in the SEO field for over five years, he provides ethical ROI based SEO solutions.