Ever heard of black hat and/or white hat SEO? If not, I’ll give you a very brief introduction. SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the art of optimising your website to give it the best chance of ranking at the top of the likes of Google, Yahoo and MSN (Windows Live Search).

As with most things in life, there are right and wrong ways of performing SEO - the good ways are known as “white hat SEO” and the bad ways, “black hat SEO”. Paying for links to help your website’s link profile, for example, is one such bad way - sometimes you’ll be issued with a penalty such as the hefty one Google gave Go Compare last February.

It would appear that Danny Sullivan has given us a new hat to wear. Stop shouting the rainbow at your screen - it’s not a colour! The phrase “crap hat SEO” - yes crap - has been used by Danny:

“Search engines have ‘rules’ that they themselves knowingly allow others to break. Arguments erupt over the idea that any type of marketing is ‘manipulation.’ But at some point, enough is enough with some tactics. And today, I’m done. I’m calling bullshit on anyone who is link spamming or creating crappy nonsensical content sites.”

At Search Marketing Expo recently he went on to say “Just don’t be a ‘crap hat.’ Don’t do the crap stuff. Off-topic link drops, automated link insertions. It’s all just crap. Just say no to crap. And tell others to say no. Make it like racist jokes, don’t put up with it. Enough crappy MP3 sites, comment spamming, god knows what else. Just enough. Be leaders. Grow up and if it’s money you’re leaving on the table, leave it.”

So there you have it. New hat for the selection. White, black, or crap - you choose!