Is There An SEO Code of Ethics?

Actually, not one but several Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct lists can be found on various SEO related web sites. They vary from one to the next, but generally address ethics regarding how the search engines, other SEO firms, and clients should be treated. Read on for more details about the concept of an SEO Code of Ethics.

Most people involved in SEO agree that ethical practices include making realistic claims about the services offered to clients and avoiding deceptive “black hat” search optimization techniques. These measures can be found on most of the above-mentioned Code of Ethics pages.

Many of these Code of Ethics lists also refer to matters of professionalism, such as abstaining from negative public statements about customers or other firms. This prevents retaliatory statements and helps preserve a more positive image of SEO in general.

However, there are some issues in which the role of ethics remains unclear. Some say that guaranteeing high rankings for particular keywords is unethical, while firms offering these guarantees might argue that it is only unethical if the guarantee isn’t genuine.

Another example is the use of automated SEO software. One site’s Code of Ethics lists not using automatic software. On the other hand, it could be said that there’s nothing wrong with software that works properly and applies ethical techniques. Issues involving more than one client competing for the same keyword can also become problematic.

Nonetheless, there are many issues the vast majority of SEO marketers can agree on. Submitting clients’ sites to “FFA” link pages, artificial “keyword stuffing”, trying to deceive searchers into visiting offensive sites, or creating “doorway pages” is generally seen as unethical. The same goes for any practice likely to worsen a client’s search rankings.

As in most professions and industries, the ethical practices of one individual or company providing these services has an impact upon the reputation of SEO in general. Upholding ethics encourages clients to continue using it for promotion and search engines to apply favorable policies.

Basically, ethical SEO practices clearly include being honest to customers and search engines, while forgoing undesirable practices like web page “cloaking.” However, there are disagreements over issues like paid links, social bookmarking, and ranking guarantees which make it difficult to create a single, specific Code of Ethics everyone can agree with.