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What is cloaking?

Cloaking seo meaning

What is cloaking in seo with an example?

seo cloaking

Cloaking in SEO refers to showing different content or URLs to search engines and human visitors to manipulate search rankings and deceive users. In other words, it is a black-hat SEO technique that presents search engines with different content than what users see when they visit a website.  Cloaking usually aims to achieve higher search engine rankings by tricking search engines into thinking that a website is more relevant to a particular search query than it is. This is often done by using techniques such as IP-based Cloaking, user-agent Cloaking, or JavaScript redirects to show search engines one version of a page while offering human visitors a different version. However, cloaking violates search engine guidelines and can result in penalties, including removal from search engine indexes. Therefore, website owners and SEO professionals must avoid using cloaking techniques and focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that provides value to users and follows search engine guidelines.

What is Cloaking in SEO? 

The answer to the question can be briefly explained as follows; It has long been a widely used Black Hat SEO method for some websites to rank higher in search engine results. Even algorithms that are seen as perfect have flaws and problems. This includes the algorithms of search engines. No matter how advanced and high-quality technology is, there are gaps in the algorithm, and people who want it can benefit from this situation. The cloaking method, used frequently in the past, is rarely used today, and websites that use this method are penalized.

How does Cloaking work SEO?

Search engine bots have artificial intelligence and seem easily fooled by many, right? It is not like that! At the end of our article, we would like to include why we should not do this process, which will negatively affect our site, while seeking answers to the questions of what Cloaking is, which has been popular for many years among Black Hat SEO methods, and how to do Cloaking.

How do cloaking in SEO?

What is cloaking? After answering the question briefly to explain how Cloaking is done, it is necessary to talk about the application techniques of this method shortly. We mentioned that a website has two sides. While visitors can see the current website, search engines plugged into software filters show a different page to the bots to stand out in the SERP. The page accessed by the bots consists entirely of plain text and has a fast opening as it does not have any coding to reduce image, video, or site speed. Everyone knows how vital site speed is for SERP. Moreover, thanks to the misleading SEO techniques applied in the text, it is possible to be on the first page briefly with the targeted keyword. We want to include the methods used in applying this misleading and unethical technique. 5 different cloaking methods serve the same purpose. Bots reach a different interface. These techniques are;

1. User-Agent Cloaking

The website's user-agent information is to transmit the accessing device's type, IP, location, or browser information. By filtering this information, it is aimed to show a different page when the search engine bot comes. It is one of the most frequently used Cloaking methods.

2. IP-based Cloaking

Thanks to a setting made in the htaccess file, the IP addresses of the people accessing the device are filtered by the reverse DNS method, allowing bots to access a different page. This method is among the most used cloaking methods.

3. JavaScript Cloaking

Search engine bots turn off the use of Javascript to crawl websites faster. Thanks to the coding that can perform remote javascript control, bots can be redirected to a different page.

4. HTTP_REFERER cloaking

Thanks to this code, which shows how users access your site, it is possible to redirect search engine bots to a different page.

5. HTTP Accept-language header cloaking

By obtaining the HTTP header of the user accessing a website, both accesses of the search engine are filtered, and it is ensured that they reach the fake page. Although all these techniques are used for websites to provide the best service to their users and obtain user data, Black Hat also mediates SEO methods.

What Does Cloaking Do?

All these efforts, of course, have a purpose, and it is desired to rank higher in the search results with short-cut, unethical methods. One of the first rules to rank higher in search results, namely SERP, is fast-opening pages. Since these pages consisting of plain text will open very quickly, there is an advantage here. Another crucial factor is that the content answers all the users' questions. Here, content that will affect the bots is created rather than fully SEO-compatible, and an advantage is gained. We learned what Cloaking is; it seems like a beneficial technique, although it is unethical. You are asking why the warning "Do not do this on your site," right? The answer is in the rest of our article.

Does the Cloaking method work?

Search engines (Google) give importance to websites that provide access to fast, easily accessible, and valuable content on mobile and desktop devices, directly affecting the rankings in the search results. From this point of view, the content you will show only to search engine bots with the cloaking method will consist of articles and positively affect the rankings since it will be located on pages without any unnecessary scripts and codes. However, detecting this manipulation by Google may result in permanent penalties.

Is the Cloaking method still used?

Compared to the past years, search engines have become smarter with the developing technology. In the past, it was straightforward to move a web page to the top of the search results briefly with the cloaking method. Still, today the cloaking method is considered a black hat SEO (intentional deception of search engines) technique that violates Google's regulations. You can still technically use the cloaking method, but this will be a move that Google will not like and may permanently block your site from search results. The section titled. The cloaking methods we shared in this article have been transferred to give you an idea to understand this SEO technique better and show you what results you can achieve when you apply it. If you want to do SEO work using a cloaking method, you should remember the risks and the positive results.

Why Not Cloaking?

The cloaking method is nothing but fooling search engine bots. But bots are more mindless than you know and cannot detect it. Although this method has been strengthened with various techniques for many years, it can be seen by search engines briefly. Google updates are published to provide a more accurate and better service to its users. The basis of all updates is to prevent such misleading operations and to ensure that websites that deserve a ranking stand out. If you do this to your site, it will be detected by search engines in a fleeting time, and you will be permanently banned. This will turn all your hard work into waste.

Is anyone using Adwords Cloaker?

Today, Cloaker is used for ad creatives that do not comply with policy violations in the advertising services of search engines. Although it is an unacceptable method, users resort to this method.

Is anyone using Facebook cloaker?

As with Adwords Cloaker, the number of people using Facebook Cloaker has recently increased. Users use Cloaker methods against ad styles not accepted in Facebook advertising policies. As in many Cloaker structures, redirect style cloaking methods, spider bots, and direct redirect types, Facebook no longer accepts direct users to websites and other websites. For this reason, users have started to prefer secure routing services more. In the fast-routing service, a security system separates the real and the bots, thanks to the infrastructure that hosts the user and bots on the same page. Direct routing systems are now preferred by institutions that want to go to branding and users who wish to shorten the URL. The secure routing system, in other words, page routing, is now one of the most preferred Cloaker methods.