Thread: What is Cloaking?

Guys please discuss

Cloaking is a search engine optimization (SEO) technique in which the content presented to the search engine spider is different from that presented to the user's browser. This is done by delivering content based on the IP addresses or the User-Agent HTTP header of the user requesting the page. When a user is identified as a search engine spider, a server-side script delivers a different version of the web page, one that contains content not present on the visible page, or that is present but not searchable.

Cloaking is Black hat seo technique

Google's own definition of cloaking is:

"Cloaking refers to the practice of presenting different content or URLs to users and search engines. Serving up different results based on user-agent may cause your site to be perceived as deceptive and removed from the Google index."

In simple terms it means making a website so that users see one thing and search engines see another.

cloaking recognizes search engine spiders by their IP address. Cloaking, stealth or phantom page technology constitutes the most sophisticated and efficient approach towards search engine optimization. It returns web pages to search engine spiders that are different from the web pages that web surfers see.

I think Cloaking technique in which we are two pages which have different languages first one for crawler and second one for user.

In general cloaking is what human reading the site would see different content or information than the Googlebot or other search engine robot reading the site. Most of the time, cloaking is implemented in order to improve search engine ranking by misleading the search engine robot into.

What are the advantages of cloacking?

Cloaking refers to the practice of presenting different content or URLs to users and search engines. Serving up different results based on user agent may cause your site to be perceived as deceptive and removed from the Google index. It can be used to protect pages from rival companies:
The main reason why SEO firms use cloaking is to hide HTML code from rival competitors.

It can be used to protect pages from rival companies.
The main reason why SEO firms use cloaking is to hide HTML code from rival competitors.

Originally Posted by Kate_Oranum

What are the advantages of cloacking?

Advantage is only when if you do not get caught by Google, then may be you could enjoy high ranking and thus good traffic. But mostly chances are Google will find out and your site will get penalized.

cloaking means black hat seo.

Originally Posted by annaharris

Cloaking refers to the practice of presenting different content or URLs to users and search engines. Serving up different results based on user agent may cause your site to be perceived as deceptive and removed from the Google index. It can be used to protect pages from rival companies:
The main reason why SEO firms use cloaking is to hide HTML code from rival competitors.

It can be used to protect pages from rival companies.
The main reason why SEO firms use cloaking is to hide HTML code from rival competitors.

This would seem to be one of the best answers here.

its like telling the SE one thing and having some other content in the website. that means you have to build 2 contents one for SE and one for visitors.

Cloaking is a search engine optimization (SEO) technique in which the content presented to the search engine spider is different from that presented to the user's browser. This is done by delivering content based on the IP addresses or the User-Agent HTTP header of the user requesting the page. When a user is identified as a search engine spider, a server-side script delivers a different version of the web page, one that contains content not present on the visible page, or that is present but not searchable.

Cloaking generally means to present different version of web page contents from of search engines to search robots and human visitors based on their browser's user agent or IP address. It's a deceptive method used to cheat search engines in order to rank well for desired keywords.