It was a cold, dark night. At the end of the long path was an old, rundown mansion covered in cobwebs. Inside was a candle flickering next to the shadow of a person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You rub the frost off the stained-glass window on the doorstep, and there\u2019s just enough light to see what the man inside is doing. He\u2019s moving his body from side to side, chanting numbers \u2013 what could it be? Black magic?\u00a0<\/p>\n
You put your ear to the window to find out what you can hear \u2013 and you can make out \u2026 something:<\/p>\n
\u201cOne, two, three, four paid links!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alas \u2013 he\u2019s not a sorcerer at all \u2013 but something even more chilling: A marketer performing the ancient practice of black hat SEO!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Does this tale spook you as much as it does me? It\u2019s almost 2023, and if you\u2019re involved in buying links \u2013 or any of the 10 things I\u2019m about to detail in this article \u2013 you won\u2019t have a chance to compete in the search results.<\/p>\n
So without further ado, here are 10 spooky SEO<\/a> practices to axe in 2023.<\/p>\n