define Cloaking
Definition:
A system to hide code or content from a user and deliver different content to a search engine spider.
IP based cloaking delivers custom pages based on the users IP address.
User Agent cloaking delivers custom pages based upon the users Agent.
Depending on the intent of the display discrepancy and the strength of the brand of the person / company cloaking it may be considered reasonable or it may get a site banned from a search engine.
Cloaking has many legitimate uses which are within search guidelines. For example, changing user experience based on location is common on many popular websites.
Define Cloaking in SEO Terms Glossary
This technique is abused by spammers for keyword stuffing. Cloaking is a violation of the Terms Of Service of most search engines and could be grounds for banning.
