[http://www.unmatchedsolutions.co.uk/seo/free-search-engine-optimization.html SEO techniques] are classified by some into two broad categories: techniques that search engines recommend as part of good design, and those techniques that search engines do not approve of and attempt to minimize the effect of, referred to as [[spamdexing]]. Some industry commentators classify these methods, and the practitioners who employ them, as either [http://www.unmatchedsolutions.co.uk/seo/free-search-engine-optimization.html white hat SEO], or black hat SEO.<ref>{{cite web|author=Andrew Goodman|publisher=SearchEngineWatch|url=http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3483941|title=Search Engine Showdown: Black hats vs. White hats at SES|accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref> White hats tend to produce results that last a long time, whereas black hats anticipate that their sites will eventually be banned once the search engines discover what they are doing.<ref>{{cite web|author=[[Jill Whalen]]|url=http://www.searchengineguide.com/whalen/2004/1116_jw1.html|title=Black Hat/White Hat Search Engine Optimization|publisher=searchengineguide.com|accessdate=2007-05-09|date=[[November 16]], [[2004]]}}</ref>
A SEO tactic, technique or method is considered white hat if it conforms to the search engines' guidelines and involves no deception. As the search engine guidelines<ref name="g-wmguide">{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html|title=Google's Guidelines on Site Design|accessdate=2007-04-18|publisher=google.com}}</ref><ref name="ms-wmguide">{{cite web|url=http://search.msn.com/docs/siteowner.aspx?t=SEARCH_WEBMASTER_REF_GuidelinesforOptimizingSite.htm|title=Site Owner Help: MSN Search Web Crawler and Site Indexing |publisher = msn.com | accessdate=2007-04-18}}</ref><ref name="y-wmguide">{{cite web|url=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/basics/basics-18.html|title=Yahoo! Search Content Quality Guidelines|accessdate=2007-04-18|publisher=help.yahoo.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html|title=What's an SEO? Does Google recommend working with companies that offer to make my site Google-friendly? |publisher = google.com | accessdate=2007-04-18}}</ref> are not written as a series of rules or commandments, this is an important distinction to note. White hat SEO is not just about following guidelines, but is about ensuring that the content a search engine indexes and subsequently ranks is the same content a user will see.
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Optimization techniques are highly tuned to the dominant search engines in the target market.
The search engines' market shares vary from market to market, as does competition.
In 2003, [[Danny Sullivan (technologist)|Danny Sullivan]] stated that Google represented about 75% of all searches.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-08-25-google_x.htm|title=The search engine that could|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=2007-05-15|date=2003-08-26 | first1=Jefferson | last1=Graham}}</ref> In markets outside the United States, Google's share is often larger, and Google remains the dominant [http://www.unmatchedsolutions.co.uk/seo/free-search-engine-optimization.html search engine worldwide] as of 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3625072 | author=Greg Jarboe | title=Stats Show Google Dominates the International Search Landscape | publisher=[[Search Engine Watch]] | date= 2007-02-22 | accessdate=2007-05-15 }}</ref> As of 2006, Google had an 85-90% market share in Germany.<ref name="grehan-1">{{cite web|url=http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3595926|title=Search Engine Optimizing for Europe |author=Mike Grehan|date=April 3, 2006|accessdate=2007-05-14|publisher=Click}}</ref> While there were hundreds of SEO firms in the US at that time, there were only about five in Germany.<ref name="grehan-1" /> As of June 2008, the marketshare of Google in the UK was close to 90% according to [[Hitwise]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2008/jun/10/googleukclosesinon90mark | author=Jack Schofield | title=Google UK closes in on 90% market share | publisher=[[The Guardian|Guardian]] | date= 2008-06-10 | accessdate=2008-06-10 | ___location=London}}</ref> That market share is achieved in a number of countries.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/03/googles-market-share-in-your-country.html
| author=Alex Chitu | title=Google's Market Share in Your Country | publisher=[[Google Chrome OS|Google Operating System]] | date= 2009-03-13 | accessdate=2009-05-16 }}</ref>
