When you work in the borderland between the two approaches, it is referred to as grey hat SEO. In this approach, you use the optimization methods that both white hat and black hat employ. In other words, you operate at the edge of what is allowed by Google and other search engines. Therefore, the approach is not without risk.
This type of SEO is often used because it provides results faster and more effectively than white hat SEO. The good results, however, also come at a price, as you risk being penalized by Google if your methods are too close to black hat SEO. Search engines are getting better and better at filtering and sorting through SEO work that does not comply with the guidelines.
Several techniques fall in the borderland between the two extremes, because it can be difficult for Google to determine whether, for example, the use of keywords and links is natural.
Keyword Stuffing – excessive and unnatural use of keywords in text and meta tags with the aim of boosting the page's ranking. It is hard for Google to determine whether the use of keywords is natural or unnatural, and that is why it is considered grey hat. Link exchange – swapping links with another website so that the two sites refer to each other. Texts written for search engines – when you create texts that are intended for search engines rather than users. Self-created links – for example, buying old domains with high credibility that link to your website.
As mentioned, it is not without risk, and if you cross the line, Google can penalize your website in different ways. Google works to crack down on inappropriate SEO methods. This can include anything from certain pages becoming unavailable on Google, Google lowering the ranking of your entire website, and, in the worst case, Google removing your website from the search results.
