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E-Business | Ethical dilemmas in ...Ethical dilemmas in search engine optimisationTotal Word Count: 319 Author Rating: NA  Rate this article
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It is well known that some search engine optimisation techniques are unethical. These have been described as ‘black hat’ methods. Is it therefore the case that SEO firms face profound ethical dilemmas when devising strategies for their clients? Since the term ‘search engine optimisation’ emerged in the late 1990s, there has been the possibility of a conflict of interest between the major search engines and SEO firms. The history shows that some SEO firms were guilty of stuffing content with (sometimes inappropriate) keywords to exert upward pressure on their clients’ rankings.
It is well known that some search engine optimisation techniques are unethical. These have been described as ‘black hat’ methods. Is it therefore the case that SEO firms face profound ethical dilemmas when devising strategies for their clients?
Since the term ‘search engine optimisation’ emerged in the late 1990s, there has been the possibility of a conflict of interest between the major search engines and SEO firms. The history shows that some SEO firms were guilty of stuffing content with (sometimes inappropriate) keywords to exert upward pressure on their clients’ rankings. Inappropriate keywords hampered the performance of the search engines and detracted from the service that they offered to users. Given competition between search engines, they were compelled to act. They developed more complicated algorithms on which to base their ranking systems. This level of sophistication was harder for unethical actors to get around, but the potential commercial rewards prevented them from giving up. Unethical practices such as link purchasing and the creation of ‘link farms’ were pursued by unscrupulous firms. However, the search engines responded with new measures to combat this activity. Accessible websites with fresh, relevant content are what users want to be featured at the top of the rankings. Companies that have tried to frustrate this ambition via unethical methods have sometimes been harshly penalised. A classic example was the firm Traffic Power who managed to get some of their client websites banned from Google’s search results. Although some unethical behaviour may ‘get through the net,’ the potential consequence if it is discovered is a powerful deterrent. It should be remembered that there is more to SEO than getting in the top ten rankings of a major search engine- there is also reputation management and other factors. At SEO Consult, we face no ethical dilemmas because we use white hat techniques to please our clients, their customers and the search engines. ArticleSource: ArticlesAlley.com
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