Why search engine optimization ethics is important

Because the SEO field is unregulated and operates in the virtual world, some SEO specialists have been known to take the money and run. This is where SEO ethics hits you where you feel it most -- in the pocketbook. We are often approached by website owners who say, "The previous SEO took my money and did nothing."

To make sure you hire an ethical SEO specialist, always check that he has a physical address posted on his website. That is a sign that he is less likely to disappear. Most reputable search engine optimization specialists will ask for some of the payment up front. Some will bill in arrears. There should be no reason to give full payment up front to a perfect stranger.

Another typical scam is to use dirty tricks, called "black hat SEO", to get your website ranking highly. You are pleased as punch, hand over the money, then five months later you wonder what happened to your rankings when the search engines get wise and ban your site.

It is important to ask an SEO specialist about his methods before hiring him. I wrote an ebook about what should be avoided when optimizing a site (see image to the right).

Another common trick, often in conjunction with a false guarantee, is to choose poor keywords.I could get your automotive site to rank #1 at every major search engine for the term "double-decker bus sundae delight". Unfortunately, not too many of your customers are searching for that term.

Be careful, however, not to demand the most competitive terms, either. For instance, if your automotive site is for a chain of repair shops in Pennsylvania, you probably do not have the financial means to compete for the term "automobiles", nor is that the most effective term to target your most likely customers.

Ask an SEO specialist how he plans to select the keywords for you. If your bottom line is not his top priority, find another SEO specialist.

Another search engine optimization scam is to guarantee placement within a short period of time, and to buy pay-per-click ad space. Pay-per-click ads appear as "sponsored" listings in the search engines. While they will attract some targeted traffic, only 40% of Internet searchers click on the sponsored listings. Worse, they are temporary listings that end when the account is depleted.

A similar scam some SEO specialists do is to place temporary links on their own sites or buy paid advertising links on other sites. Once the money is paid, they remove the links on their own sites, and once the ads expire on other sites, your site loses those links and rankings also fall.