Displaying Your SEO Ethics

Hi Heather,

I really wasn’t referring to any one person. I was referring to the handful of people who are present at every conference that do their best to take attention away from the show in order to promote themselves and cause a scene. SES San Jose was not special in that regard.

I’ve also never “whined” here on the blog, so if you came across something you didn’t like it was probably on one of my social media accounts. Feel free to unfollow or unsubscribe. I can assure you that you’re not going to find anything SEO-related there.

“If you were at SES San Jose last week you probably met a search engine jackass or two. Someone who clearly was out to promote themselves. Someone who made claims we all know they can’t back up. Someone who acted like a royal jerk in the middle of sessions and whose main agenda seemed to be causing a scene.”
We all know who you’re referring to. While everyone agrees that he acted like an ass, why is it okay for you to say this when you spend days whining after someone says far less harsh things about you?

When someone mentions ethics and seo in a sentence, I am reminded of a passage in Catch 22, where you can only eat after you salute the flag.

Why is that?

While I like this code of ethics on the BC site, and I’d go much further with them, I’m not sure it makes that great a difference with no policing whatsoever. Lisa stated to feel free to display the seal on your site. That’s nice, but what exactly does that do? Not a thing but make visitors to that firm’s website think they are ethical. Who says?
Unless or until this industry gets a backbone; it makes no difference who puts what on their sites. For me; it’s the equivalent of displaying a silly SEMPO seal on your site. So the hell what? lol

Lisa,
I think the issue is not that every company post your code of ethics, (or their own).. but that it may provide a solution.. of sorts to the certification issue… if i remember correctly, there was a bruce clay certificaiton program at the end of the 90’s.. this was back when it was like Bruce Clay tyhe person.. not the company he has successfully grown things to. I could be wrong…

Kinda the same way Bruce’s charts were an innovation on how indexes and directories shared information over a decade ago.. maybe something you have used as a tool to assist clients in understanding how SEO should be performed in a business environment could also be used as a warning for the unaware.

I’m really glad to see some rumblings from ‘the community’ regarding ethics and SEO.
Many small businesses that *want* to get into SEO, either outsourcing the work or working with consultants, read much of the info found online and, decidedly, give up. (1)The cost of a visibility expert with a good reputation is out of the budget for most small companies; and (2)There’s so much contrary information around SEO that potential clients get overwhelmed and simply walk away.
I like the idea of how transparency can not only assure current clients, but piques potential clients’ sincere interest.
Hmm, too funny: “Transparent Ethics” It sounds like an insult, but could be one of the greatest compliments around.
Great Post!

Great post.

Speaking as a former customer of Bruce Clay, Inc., I can tell you that having that policy in place and upfront was a consideration in the vendor selection process, which eventually awarded BCI a contract in the company I worked for. It’s not that we were worried about BCI’s reputation, we were actually worried about our company’s reputation. We wanted to deal with firms that took our reputation and Brand seriously, and whom we could trust to not tarnish that reputation by doing something that would come back to hurt us. A strong Brand is a trusted Brand, and trust is so hard to gain, and so easy to lose that it was important for us to feel we could trust the vendor to do the right thing at all times.

I believe the Enrons of the world are a very slim minority, and that the vast majority of companies want and strive to do the right thing by their customers, employees and community. Having a code of ethics on your web site (and abiding by that code) may not by and of itself gain you any business, but it certainly won’t lose you any business either.