What is Cloaking?
Cloaking in SEO is a deceptive technique that shows different content or URLs to users and search engines. It presents optimized content to search engines for better indexing while displaying different content to users.
How Cloaking Works:
Cloaking identifies visitors based on their IP addresses. Search engine bots are served keyword-stuffed, high-ranking content, while human visitors see user-friendly content, often unrelated to their search query.
Risks of Cloaking:
- Violation of Guidelines: It breaches search engine rules.
- Penalties: Websites can be penalized with lower rankings or removal from search indexes.
- Credibility Damage: Reduces visibility and trustworthiness.
Identifying Cloaking:
Compare the content shown to users and search engines using tools like Google Search Console. Discrepancies may indicate cloaking.
4o
