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gazette
Issue # 205 (09-29-2003)
Peer (to Peer) PressureBalancing between what's required of you, what's expected of you, what works, what doesn't, and more importantly... what YOU want to do, can make for some very long nights for we Web masters. |
| The Guide Post |
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One of the most misunderstood industries on The Internet is that of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It's complete voodoo to most webmasters, and even to the self proclaimed experts. SEOs spend their days and nights trying to figure out strategies to achieve high results in the search engines ... by learning how the search engines work, and then designing and coding pages that are "Search Engine Friendly", to increase the likelihood that on the next "big crawl", the Web site will be well represented near the top of the search results for specifically targeted keywords.
There's been lots and lots of talk, about the adoption of an agreed upon Standard of Ethics for SEOs to follow. With the search engines themselves changing their algorithm and techniques daily, it's nearly impossible to define a rigid set of standards. What is allowed today may not be tomorrow, and similarly, a technique that will get you banned today, might be perfectly "legal" the next. In such an environment, can there actually be a hard and fast rule set laid out, that "ethical" SEO's can follow? First, I think we have to define what is an "Ethical SEO", and secondly, what, if any standards can be legitimately asked of an SEO Firm or Individual to follow. In my opinion, ethics in SEO take on 2 different tracks. First, as an SEO, you have an ethical obligation to be honest and above board with your clients. If you're going to promise something, deliver. If you're getting paid, deliver on what you've been paid to do. If you fail, ethically you should be required to refund monies earned under any "guarantee". If you're going to use "tactics" that might possibly achieve your goal or guarantee that may have the undesired result of your client becoming banned from the search engines, you must ethically disclose that possibility to your client, and allow them to opt-out of your service, with no financial obligation. The second ethical track that an SEO must travel is that of what is "ethical practice" to achieve results. Again, since there are no etched in stone regulations, or consistency between the search engines, this is next to impossible. What we can do, perhaps, is begin with a set of basics ... things that we know the search engines will not allow or tolerate, and build and modify that list as FACTS become evident. An SEO whose business is driven by their desire to "achieve results ethically" and therefore "do right" by their clients should agree, voluntarily to follow these guidelines. Ultimately, it's up to the clients to decide which SEO firm and tactics are right for them. Thus far, there's been no formally adopted model for ethical SEO. There have been various articles and discussions about the topic, and even a few organizations that have been formed to (perhaps) try and do this (SEMPO, for one). Is it time that we get together and put up a basic set of guidelines, and have SEOs that are "on board" with the concept agree to them ... or is this the type of industry that's simply not able to be regulated, even by a self-governing system? Bruce Clay's SEO Code of Web Ethics Proposal: http://www.bruceclay.com/web_ethics.htm Where do you stand on this issue? Share your thoughts with us here: http://www.jimworld.com/apps/searchengine.forums/action::thread/forum::seo-professional/thread::1064860918/ |
Read the The Guide Post section from the Last Issue or in the Following Issue
JimWorld Member comments and feedback ...
Posted On: 04/19/2006 04:35
Posted By: alfie1848
Posted By: alfie1848
Thank you for your review, I will benefit from your suggestions. I have one
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
Posted On: 04/19/2006 04:43
Posted By: alfie1848
Posted By: alfie1848
Thank you for your review, I will benefit from your suggestions. I have one
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
Posted On: 04/19/2006 04:57
Posted By: alfie1848
Posted By: alfie1848
Thank you for your review, I will benefit from your suggestions. I have one
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
Posted On: 04/19/2006 04:10
Posted By: alfie1848
Posted By: alfie1848
Thank you for your review, I will benefit from your suggestions. I have one
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
question though. You said "In the source, you really need a meta description
for each page just as you do with any web site." How do I do this with blogger?
Posted On: 01/04/2008 08:04
Posted By: boltonuv
Posted By: boltonuv
This "Scumbag of the Week" article is irresponsible. I had not trouble at all in receiving the following response from SpamArrest:
"Hi James,
Thank you for your email.
James, what you see there is absolutely wrong and is done to misguide our users and our new customers from Spam Arrest. We have over 1.5 million customers with us including you. You have been with us for a very long time, James. You can check with any of your contacts whether they have received any junk emails from us. We never do such a thing and its completely against our ethics! We hate spam as much as you do and so, along with stopping it, we make sure that none of our customer's emails are noted as spam. We warn our customers from sending bulk emails about the fact that their contacts might misunderstand their bulk emails as spam and will turn against them and Spam Arrest. A company following only such healthy practices can never do such a thing like spamming. What we value the most is our customer's trust and we will make all efforts to retain that in the best way possible. We never admit your personal information to any third party under whatsoever circumstances. You will find a whole lot of misleading things like this in Internet, James. We have friends and foes like anyone else in this planet.
I hope you will understand us the best way possible, James. Please do let me know if you need any further clarifications regarding this.
Best Regards,
Peter
Technical Support Specialist
Spam Arrest"
In the 3 years that I have used SpamArrest, I personally have never received one complaint from anyone that has been 'spammed' from any theoretical 'spam list' that SpamArrest may have created. I think that their statement above makes it clear that they would not do this.
I behooves you to publish a retraction.
Jim Bolton
"Hi James,
Thank you for your email.
James, what you see there is absolutely wrong and is done to misguide our users and our new customers from Spam Arrest. We have over 1.5 million customers with us including you. You have been with us for a very long time, James. You can check with any of your contacts whether they have received any junk emails from us. We never do such a thing and its completely against our ethics! We hate spam as much as you do and so, along with stopping it, we make sure that none of our customer's emails are noted as spam. We warn our customers from sending bulk emails about the fact that their contacts might misunderstand their bulk emails as spam and will turn against them and Spam Arrest. A company following only such healthy practices can never do such a thing like spamming. What we value the most is our customer's trust and we will make all efforts to retain that in the best way possible. We never admit your personal information to any third party under whatsoever circumstances. You will find a whole lot of misleading things like this in Internet, James. We have friends and foes like anyone else in this planet.
I hope you will understand us the best way possible, James. Please do let me know if you need any further clarifications regarding this.
Best Regards,
Peter
Technical Support Specialist
Spam Arrest"
In the 3 years that I have used SpamArrest, I personally have never received one complaint from anyone that has been 'spammed' from any theoretical 'spam list' that SpamArrest may have created. I think that their statement above makes it clear that they would not do this.
I behooves you to publish a retraction.
Jim Bolton
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