Setting aside the ethical and moral considerations, engaging in black hat SEO is generally a bad idea, purely on practical considerations. However, given that there’s no absolute set of rules that clearly delineates white hat SEO from black hat SEO, we come to something of a grey area. When deciding on an SEO strategy it’s important to know where the line is.

Definitions

SEO is a rapidly evolving field, with its own terminology. When it comes to ethical and unethical uses of SEO, these ‘hat’ definitions are often used. But what do they mean exactly?

• White hat SEO: Best practice techniques that are approved of by search engines. In general, these techniques seek to maximize the actual appeal of a website to real users without deception or trickery. Examples include researching keywords so that the most searched-for terms are used and updating content regularly.

• Black hat SEO: These techniques are frowned upon or outright prohibited by search engines. They can often deliver only short-term results, as search engines adapt their algorithms to counteract these techniques and methods. Websites that are caught using these methods may be delisted or otherwise penalized by search engines. Examples include cloaking and link-spamming.

• Grey hat SEO: These techniques haven’t been banned, but they come somewhat close to the line. Examples include paid commenting and link-building or overuse of a keyword that doesn't quite meet the threshold for stuffing.

White, Black and Shades of Grey

There are certain techniques and methods that are easy to categorize as black or white. For example, publishing new and relevant content, creating clearly labeled guest posts that link to your site and your by-line and using the right keywords are all techniques that are beyond reproach. Altering your content to use the phrase 'steer skid loaders' if that is more searched for than 'skid steer loaders' involves no deception - you're actually helping users by making it easier for them to find a site that is relevant to their search query.

Similarly, hiding keywords in invisible text or using code that displays a different result to search engines than what actual visitors see is definitely black hat. The whole purpose of these techniques is to deceive search engines and bring visitors to your site who otherwise would not have found it useful.

The grey areas are where the problems come in. Using a keyword in an unnatural way isn't helpful for users, but it's not actually prohibited. Similarly, paying for links may get you valuable exposure, but you could end up getting dangerously close to link spamming if you don't keep a short rein on those in your employ.

Grey hat also brings its own risks. While you may not be officially penalized, algorithm changes can happen unexpectedly, and if you’re relying on techniques that the search engines don't like, your sites could drop in the rankings very precipitously when the algorithm tries to minimize the effects of your methods. In general, focusing on delivering good, relevant content that’s fresh and useful will keep you on the right side of the SEO line.

Author Bio:
Adrienne is a blogger and aspiring writer. When she’s not blogging about tech and social media, you might find her practicing her French, whipping up some recipes she found on Pinterest, or obsessing over vintage postcards and stamps.