Is it ethical to reduce your competitors' SEO score through hacking?

Hey! I just wonder, If you can slow down your competitors' websites and block access to all them, would you do it? (Like DDoS attack, not access to site directly, not stealing anything)

Or, If you have the able to consume all of your competitors' ads by bot attacking their ads, would you do it?

Both of them, you earn money + increase visibility/market share.

1- Is it ethical for you? Be honest.
2- If one of competitors does this to you, what do you do? Do you hire someone for same?

Basic knowledge: If a site is not accessible from Google search results and It gives a lot of 404 error to users multiple time, Google thinks the site is not working and decrease that keyword from rank cause of user experince, so your competitor’s Google Search performance is decreased.

Is hacking ethical?
well... it's actually illegal.

obviously not

praetserge said:

Is hacking ethical?
well... it's actually illegal.

Click to expand...

What do you think about backlink spamming? I think It’s verry common method, right? Is it black hat SEO or hacking?

I think this is a forbidden topic on BHW, the parts about slamming someone else's ads and hacking.

DDoS attacks and doing fraud clicks, do not require any hacking to be done. I am mentioning this from the technical point of view.
However, DDoS and doing fraud clicks, are definitely unethical, no doubts about it. (That is why discussing methods to do these is not allowed in the forum).
Nowadays in internet marketing in many niches, some marketers do use bad ass strategies and we cannot deny the existence of DDoS and fraud clicks.
Remember one thing : In the "sea" of internet marketing, if you get to do any bad ass strategy against a competitor, it is a "sea" filled with many other fishes, bigger than you. And people are smart enough to analyse which of their competitor(s) is (or are) doing the DDoS and click fraud to drain their ad budgets and quite soon, in a day or two, you will see your website(s) under a DDoS attack and your ad budgets getting drained.
Therefore, it is better not to indulge in things such as DDoS attacks, click fraud, etc.
Instead, challenge yourself to get your SEO to be better that theirs, thereby ranking your website(s) higher than theirs.

There's not many things that are illegal and ethically ok...

octopocto said:

What do you think about backlink spamming? I think It’s verry common method, right? Is it black hat SEO or hacking?

Click to expand...

You need a calendar... that does not work anymore.

octopocto said:

1- Is it ethical for you? Be honest.
2- If one of competitors does this to you, what do you do? Do you hire someone for same?

Click to expand...

Absolutely not. But all bets are off if the other party is the instigator.

As an analogy, you cannot go into someone's house and shoot them with a gun. But if they come on your property, armed and with ill intent, you can legally kill them.

Here's the thing, some big businesses will likely use such tactics to crush newer competitiors, they aren't running ethically.

Most of us can't compete with such big businesses, so we likely will not target "attacks" to them but rather smaller competitors. And when you do that you are harming someone exactly like you, trying to make a living through IM.
So it is definitely not ethical, just work on your own site instead of attempting to harm someone elses work, these short term deceptive tactics will never beat long term honest business (I talk in the case of businesses like ours, I know larger businesses do unethical things but it doesn't make it acceptable).

Man, you should stop even thinking about it. Everything turn around and get backs to you, trust me.

If you do good things to others, you'll get more goodness. If you do bad things to others, the same will get back to you. Sooner or later, but it will

seo racism

The reason people do it is because they have a small site and want to rank it, but guess what. When the guy who got ddosed by you will see your small site taking over his one, he will know you were the one who did it and will look to do the same to you

octopocto said:

1- Is it ethical for you? Be honest.

Click to expand...

Perhaps you don't know the meaning of the word ethical, else you would never ask this question.

I don't know why anyone would be thinking in this manner. What you're asking for is like Samsung sending robbers/thieves to everyone of Apples shops and warehouses to steal all iPhones so Apple won't have any left to sell tp customers. Yet you ask if it's ethical.

Yes it's ethical if robbery and other criminal actions against competitors in business are legal in your country and your locality.

if you are asking if it's ethical, then, probably it's not

octopocto said:

Hey! I just wonder, If you can slow down your competitors' websites and block access to all them, would you do it? (Like DDoS attack, not access to site directly, not stealing anything)

Or, If you have the able to consume all of your competitors' ads by bot attacking their ads, would you do it?

Both of them, you earn money + increase visibility/market share.

1- Is it ethical for you? Be honest.
2- If one of competitors does this to you, what do you do? Do you hire someone for same?

Basic knowledge: If a site is not accessible from Google search results and It gives a lot of 404 error to users multiple time, Google thinks the site is not working and decrease that keyword from rank cause of user experince, so your competitor’s Google Search performance is decreased.

Click to expand...

What I find bizarre...

Lets say you do have the skillset to pull of all these things.

One thing you seem to be lacking in is common sense.

Having to ask these very questions just goes to show, this may not be something you want to participate in. Someone in the UK was actually caught doing some of the things mentioned in the original post to one of his competitors and he got sent to prison.

Try and focus your time on good business and not been a complete idiot, ruining someone else work.

Either get better at marketing to outrank them or be prepared for consequences after. Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time.

octopocto said:

1- Is it ethical for you? Be honest.

Click to expand...

If your competitor is an terror- or extremist organization, a shop for nazi stuff (well, I don't want to know your business, if this is a competitor though =D), a scam shop or anything like this, it might be ethical - but still illegal in most countries =D
It MIGHT be ethical, because there are two main schools in ethic philosophy - one wich says, that bad things are allways bad (so it's unethical at all) and one that says, that causing suffer may be ok, if it reduces suffering (like shooting down a plane before it flies into a building). The Trolley experiment is a nice tool, to learn about basic ethics
But a ddos wouldn't produce 404's - that's an error, when the file is not there at all. It will lead to 5xx errors - google will recrawl it later. That's not a problem for rankings - only for accessbility.

thedorf said:

I think this is a forbidden topic on BHW, the parts about slamming someone else's ads and hacking.

Click to expand...

Hey calm down, I don't say I will do it. If I can, I don't ask to you. Please read again, I am worrying about someone/one of competitors is attacking me. Just this.
Because I am under attack from my country. I blocked all attacks (cause of I am software developer), I disavowed all spammy backlinks but I just wonder is it ethical and normal.

I guess worrying is not a reason to be banned. But thanks for reply.

Trust WorkShop said:

DDoS attacks and doing fraud clicks, do not require any hacking to be done. I am mentioning this from the technical point of view.
However, DDoS and doing fraud clicks, are definitely unethical, no doubts about it. (That is why discussing methods to do these is not allowed in the forum).
Nowadays in internet marketing in many niches, some marketers do use bad ass strategies and we cannot deny the existence of DDoS and fraud clicks.
Remember one thing : In the "sea" of internet marketing, if you get to do any bad ass strategy against a competitor, it is a "sea" filled with many other fishes, bigger than you. And people are smart enough to analyse which of their competitor(s) is (or are) doing the DDoS and click fraud to drain their ad budgets and quite soon, in a day or two, you will see your website(s) under a DDoS attack and your ad budgets getting drained.
Therefore, it is better not to indulge in things such as DDoS attacks, click fraud, etc.
Instead, challenge yourself to get your SEO to be better that theirs, thereby ranking your website(s) higher than theirs.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your detailed explanation, but just thing, I don't want to discuss any method about hacking or attacking, I am just under attack and I want to understood DDoS or backling attack is ethical or not.

Your suggestion really put my mind at ease. Thank you for this. Because I work hard for better SEO in my projects. Even more than my competitors. But they are trying to reduce my market share with doing as illegal ways. I just wonder is it ethical and normal, so I asked to you.

Rakzs said:

Here's the thing, some big businesses will likely use such tactics to crush newer competitiors, they aren't running ethically.

Most of us can't compete with such big businesses, so we likely will not target "attacks" to them but rather smaller competitors. And when you do that you are harming someone exactly like you, trying to make a living through IM.
So it is definitely not ethical, just work on your own site instead of attempting to harm someone elses work, these short term deceptive tactics will never beat long term honest business (I talk in the case of businesses like ours, I know larger businesses do unethical things but it doesn't make it acceptable).

Click to expand...

YOU ARE DAMN RIGHT! I don't want to hurt anyone else the way I was hurt. One of my competitors or more are trying something. I don't want to same thing because I am able to fight with ethical ways, because I am full qualified software developer and I can do better SEO than others.
I just wonder is it ethical and normal, so I asked to you.

DomantasDigital said:

Man, you should stop even thinking about it. Everything turn around and get backs to you, trust me.

If you do good things to others, you'll get more goodness. If you do bad things to others, the same will get back to you. Sooner or later, but it will

Click to expand...

Please, read this thread again, I don't intend to do anything the way you think you are calm down.
You are right on your last sentences, I am a good boy, I didn't try any not ethical things, I believe I am able to fight with ethical ways. I just wonder is it ethical and normal, so I asked to you. And I am sure, I won't do things like my competitors.

AlbinKurti said:

The reason people do it is because they have a small site and want to rank it, but guess what. When the guy who got ddosed by you will see your small site taking over his one, he will know you were the one who did it and will look to do the same to you

Click to expand...

Yo're right bro but I don't attack someone. Someone attacked me. Please don't get it wrong.

HenryObi said:

Perhaps you don't know the meaning of the word ethical, else you would never ask this question.

I don't know why anyone would be thinking in this manner. What you're asking for is like Samsung sending robbers/thieves to everyone of Apples shops and warehouses to steal all iPhones so Apple won't have any left to sell tp customers. Yet you ask if it's ethical.

Yes it's ethical if robbery and other criminal actions against competitors in business are legal in your country and your locality.

Click to expand...

I know the meaning of ethical, I asked because I am under attack since loooong time and I want to learn is it really <<NEW>> ethical or I am missing something. I am Apple, not Samsung, and someone is trying steal my phones on my warehouse daily
Calm down and before you accuse me of anything, please take another look at what I wrote.

stephen88 said:

What I find bizarre...

Lets say you do have the skillset to pull of all these things.

One thing you seem to be lacking in is common sense.

Having to ask these very questions just goes to show, this may not be something you want to participate in. Someone in the UK was actually caught doing some of the things mentioned in the original post to one of his competitors and he got sent to prison.

Try and focus your time on good business and not been a complete idiot, ruining someone else work.

Either get better at marketing to outrank them or be prepared for consequences after. Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time.

Click to expand...

I don't say I have any skillset, I don't say I want to attack someone. I don't focus my time on bad business and been a complete idiot. Please calm down.
I am under attack since long time. And then, I started to thinking It's normal and ethical because I have detected that my website is under attack by more than one of my competitors or more. I can see DDoS attacks.

I just wonder is it ethical and normal, so I asked to you and I hope it's not a crime that I'm under attack. 'Cause someone's beating me today on this topic I am the business who is harmed, not the person who hurts.

I am trying my best for better SEO results than others. But my results decreased everyday because I have thousands spammy backlink. I learned how to disavow them on this forum, but now they are attack me with DDoS. I blocked them already but next I don't know what will be.
I wondered and asked If It legit/ethical. Because I've been same through too much lately.

Bugfisch said:

If your competitor is an terror- or extremist organization, a shop for nazi stuff (well, I don't want to know your business, if this is a competitor though =D), a scam shop or anything like this, it might be ethical - but still illegal in most countries =D
It MIGHT be ethical, because there are two main schools in ethic philosophy - one wich says, that bad things are allways bad (so it's unethical at all) and one that says, that causing suffer may be ok, if it reduces suffering (like shooting down a plane before it flies into a building). The Trolley experiment is a nice tool, to learn about basic ethics
But a ddos wouldn't produce 404's - that's an error, when the file is not there at all. It will lead to 5xx errors - google will recrawl it later. That's not a problem for rankings - only for accessbility.

Click to expand...

Thanks for ur reply I am not terrorist or extremist organization, I am selling physical products like home decoration on one of my compenies. I don't plan to attack someone. Someone is attacking my business, I don't think so they want to causing reduce suffer they want to kill my business. Because I can create thousands programmatic page and make them full valid techical SEO. I can develop / make bugfix on my website instantly. I can use AI content creation tools. I know a lot of thing about LCP, CLS, FID and rest of core web vitals. They can't. But..
They have a lot of money for ads, for agencies, for servers, for <<employees that doing hack>>. So they attack to me because they can't do anything.

I have full-qualified monitoring system on my projects, I track always. They tried firstly DDoS attack but I blocked their all of proxies. But generally they attacked me at sleep
Now, they are attacking with spammy backlinks. Next, I don't know what they will use.

octopocto said:

Now, they are attacking with spammy backlinks. Next, I don't know what they will use.

Click to expand...

Yeah - ddos is even the nicest thing - they can't do it forever, you can just sit down, let em do their thing and then go on - Backlinks are uglier, goes you have to invest some time getting rid of em.
Countermeasures are normally not usefull - they cost money and efford. And counter-attacking mostly fails, because you can't be sure who to attack.
By reverse proxing, you will make most of their costs disappear anyway and there will be the time, where they get tired of trying =D
Just keep your security on critical infrastructure high - I don't think, they're capable of real hacking, when they started ddos in the first place, more likly they hired some script kiddy, but one could nerver know