Definition:
Cloaking is a technique used in Black Hat SEO used to send the content of a web page to a search engine in such a way that search engines are shown different content than that shown to a human search engine. The goal of this cover-up is to increase the search engine rank of a website with certain keywords.
In cloaking, the search engine and the user are not literally on the same page. Therefore, both the user and the search engine are being deceived.
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How is cloaking done?
This is done by delivering content based on the IP addresses or HTTP header of the user requesting the page. When a user identifies themselves as a search engine spider, a server script provides a different version of the web page, which includes content that is not present on the visible page, or that is present but cannot be searched.
Is cloaking useful?
No. In fact, it is a practice in disuse and totally discouraged in the current SEO strategy.
Frequently asked questions about Cloaking
What is Cloaking in SEO?
Cloaking is a technique that shows different content to search engines and users. It is considered a deceptive practice when it seeks to manipulate rankings by offering Google an optimized version that does not match the real visitor experience.
Why is Cloaking a risky practice?
It is a risky practice because it violates search engine guidelines and can cause loss of visibility, manual actions, or deindexing. Search engines want to evaluate the same information that the user receives in order to maintain reliable results.
Is all dynamic content Cloaking?
No. Personalizing content by language, location, device, or session is not Cloaking if it is done legitimately and consistently. The problem appears when content is hidden or altered with the intention of deceiving the search engine or the user.
How is Cloaking detected in an SEO audit?
It is detected by comparing the response received by Googlebot with the one received by a normal browser, reviewing rendered HTML, headers, logs, redirects, server rules, and relevant differences in text, links, or loaded resources.