What is gray hat SEO?
When you use white hat SEO, you are actually using strategies that are accepted by Google. While using black hat SEO techniques is like going into a dark place. These techniques are banned by Google and your website may be penalized for using them.
Gray hat SEO is a combination of both types of strategies. Like the gray characters in movies! People who are neither too good nor too bad. If white hat SEO strategies are getting you good results, you might want to use gray hat techniques to speed up the process.
Gray Hat SEO Techniques
Gray hat SEO uses suspicious strategies that are not banned by Google. But it can turn into black hat SEO in future. Using these techniques are usually not recommended because they are a bit risky. But if you use them correctly, you will increase your ranking in short time. Here are 10 gray hat SEO tips that can take your website from zero to one in short time:
Increase the length of your old content
When it comes to generate traffic, long-form content works best. What is your average content length? Do you typically use 1,000-word pieces of content for your website blog?
If you work in a highly competitive field, you should create blog posts that are 2,000 words or more. What is the average length of your old content? Is it in the 1,000-1,500 word range?
Adding content to older posts can help you generate more traffic. As a general rule, posts of 2,000 words or more can do wonders for your organic traffic. When updating your older content, you should also aim for its length.
Buying expired domains
This technique is one of the most popular gray hat SEO strategies that works great if done right. This strategy refers to buying expired domains to improve your website’s backlinks. When purchasing an expired domain, you need to be careful that the domain you are purchasing is a valid web address. That is why it is recommended to check if search engines have penalized it in the past. The domain should be relevant to your position and free of any malicious links.
Using a Private Blogging Network (PBN)
You may have heard that using PBN backlinks is a black hat SEO strategy. However, this is only true if you build your PBN using irrelevant links and duplicate content. If you create high quality, valuable content on relevant topics on your private blogging network, this technique falls under gray hat SEO.
Use appropriate keyword density
Keywords can hurt your search engine rankings, but maintaining proper keyword density in your content can do wonders for your rankings.
You should naturally include your keywords. Your content should not appear difficult due to being overloaded with keywords. It’s best not to try to put keywords in inappropriate places in the text. Think of Google as a human user and you want to provide it with practical and useful content.
Careful use of social bookmarking sites
Posting your website links to social bookmarking sites can help your SEO. However, you should be careful not to overdo it. It’s best to share your links on these websites only once or twice.
Submit your website to a web directory
By submitting your website to web directories, you can get relevant, high-quality backlinks. You can list your website in that directory, under a specific category. Not all web directories are the same, so you should only submit your website to those that can generate valuable, quality backlinks.
Having multiple accounts on social networks
You may think that only your content can improve your website’s ranking. However, it is good to note that search engines also check social media signals. Do you have social media accounts for your blog or website?
If you have not created an account yet, it is better to start now. To improve your social media presence, you should create multiple accounts on social media (in fact, you should have multiple accounts on each network). When you only have one account on a social network, it is considered white hat SEO.
But, when you create multiple fake accounts on social media, it becomes gray hat SEO. These accounts can help you increase followers, shares, and get more traffic. If you are looking to become a professional expert, this method is not recommended.
Receiving positive comments
Have you ever checked your business position on review websites? It may sound strange to you, but this is essential for any business or brand. If you can list them, you are halfway there. When customers leave positive reviews about your brand, your search engine rankings improve. Of course, you may be against doing this, because you also create the possibility for users to tell you their negative comments and criticisms. Websites like Yelp, Crowd, and G2 offer you a platform to interact with customers, allowing you to see and read positive and negative reviews from your users.
Create a microsite or blog
Creating a microsite or blog can be a powerful strategy for building backlinks to your main website. This gray hat SEO technique can improve search engine rankings without breaking Google’s rules. This way you can use high quality backlinks because you have full control over the content. Your website or blog should not have duplicate content. The content should be valuable and relevant to increase your ranking.
Link building using Web 2.0
Web 2.0 refers to dynamic content that can be updated to improve quality and relevance. Wikipedia pages, Quora, Medium, etc. are examples of Web 2.0.
If you are looking to establish yourself as an expert in your field, you need to actively engage with users on this platform. This can help improve and boost your website’s SEO by increasing user engagement. This will drive more traffic to your website.
Does Gray Hat SEO Help Your Website Rank?
Yes, gray hat SEO techniques can help your website rank in search engines. However, it is not recommended to use these techniques. If you decide to use them, it’s recommended that you stick to the tips it is explained. Keep in mind that there is a very fine line between these strategies and black hat SEO. So you should always make sure that your methods do not involve black hat techniques. Remember that Google can penalize your website for using black hat strategies, and this will undoubtedly cost you a lot of money.