Gray-hat SEO is an SEO practice that's riskier than White-hat SEO, but one that may or may not result in your site being banned from search engines and their affiliate sites. Generally, Gray-hat SEO practices belong in neither the Black-hat nor White-hat category because the terms of service regarding the issue are unclear You'll get the answers to the following questions:

What is Gray-hat SEO? Why is it important? What Gray-hat SEO should mean to you

So, What IS Gray-hat SEO, Anyway?

Gray-hat SEO is difficult to define. In the words of SEO Consultant, John Andrews, Gray Hat SEO is not something between Black Hat and White Hat, but rather "the practice of tactics/techniques which remain ill-defined by published material coming out of Google, and for which reasonable people could disagree on how the tactics support or contrast with the spirit of Google’s published guidelines."

Why are Gray-hat SEO Techniques Important to You?

Though Gray-hat SEO practices are on the chancy side, they can be more beneficial than standard White-hat SEO methods it is simply reward in exchange for risk. A good example of Gray-hat SEO is link buying. Google specifically prohibits parties from participating in "link schemes."

A proper understanding of Gray-hat SEO is important because it could improve your site's ranking without negative consequences, or it could cost you thousands in lost traffic. Google's best practices and conditions have the capacity to prohibit clever innovation and thinking outside the box. This prohibition isn't automatically in the interest of search marketers or even the searchers themselves. What's more, Gray-hat SEO changes periodically; what's considered Gray Hat one year could be classified as Black or White Hat the following year, making it crucial for search marketers to stay informed of the latest categorizations.

Should You Be Implementing Gray-hat SEO Methods?

You don't gain much by getting on Google's bad side, but often thinking outside the box is what defines a great idea. So where does this leave you, you ask? We suggest not sticking exclusively to White-hat SEO, but rather using White Hat automation in your search campaigns. Automation is generally considered Black-hat, but there is such a thing as White-hat automation, another potential definition of Gray-hat SEO. In order to stay competitive in search marketing without increasing costs and time commitment, White-hat automation is your best option.

The 3 primary elements of gray-hat tactics

Cloaking
Using Black-hat cloaking tactics to achieve White-hat results is what would be called Gray-hat tactics. The method of designing a page or site. Targeting relevant and specific keywords for your market, and then use the cloaking to redirect a visitor to a user friendly site that is relevant to the original search

Paid links
Links donated for charity may still be listed as Gray-hat. Google views paid links as Black-hat. Link building where relevance is less important.

Duplicate content
Publishing duplicate content at different sites.