SEO Standards

There have been quite a few posts bouncing around the blogs about whether the SEO Industry needs standards. Arguments against standards seem to outnumber supporters, and those on the opposing side levy warnings of everything from reduced creativity and experimentation to bureaucracy laden government agencies whose inefficiencies will cripple the industry. SEOMoz posted a nice recap of recent writings on the subject and, as usual, threw in their own $0.02.

Many of the points made in favor of standards cite a need to protect clients from unethical, or simply unskilled, SEO service providers. Michael Martinez over at SEO-Theory even goes so far as to predict an increase in SEO Brokers and the need for these middle men to have a yard stick by which to measure the services they recommend or re-sell. The most compelling argument, however, for standards came from Lisa Barone. Within her post the most salient point is this:

"...search engine optimization is a form of advertising. It’s not a matter of should it be regulated, advertising MUST be regulated."

The need to protect clients from service providers simply doesn't warrant a set of industry standards. The fact is that the world economy is fueled by hundreds, if not thousands, of service provider types. If clients are not doing their homework and are incapable of properly evaluating service providers, then they run the risk paying too much, or getting cheated, at every turn - not just with SEO. The party at risk in this scenario, and why regulations (note I didn't say "standards," more about the difference a bit later in this post) are needed, is the consumer.

The primary benefit to a regulated advertising industry is to protect the consumer against false claims, not to protect Big Brand Co. from Sneaky Ad Firm LLC because they might not deliver a quality product. In the end, market forces (or lawsuits) will weed out those service providers that cannot effectively serve their clients. That's the way a market economy works. The consumer, however, has little recourse when they waste hours of their time clicking on search results that have nothing to do with what they're looking for. Sure, some of that will be incidental as the issue of relevancy gets worked out, but the door cannot be left open for wholesale manipulation of search results simply to drive traffic. That is an offense against the consumer and until SEO practices are covered by the same type of regulations we see in the advertising industry, these offenses will continue.

Finally, I want to be clear that I'm making a distinction between SEO Standards and SEO Regulations. Much of the coverage of this debate has referred to SEO Standards from the operational or certification standpoint. That is, standards being viewed as a means of determining if an SEO is capable and/or ethical in the service they provide. While we may see certifications gain popularity over time, I don't believe that the basics of SEO are complicated enough to warrant a certification standard. The only value a certification could have would be to validate competency and could not address the issue of ethical business practice. Again, as with any service provider, the purchasing client needs to understand enough about what their buying before finalizing the deal. Market forces will flush out the dregs.

Regulations would differ from operational standards in that, as with most regulated industries, they would exist as a means to shield the public from deceptive tactics. As an example, consider the FAA. As a regulating body overseeing the airline industry, their main concern is the safety of the flying public. Basically, the FAA exists to keep planes from crashing not to protect American Airlines bottom line from a shady parts manufacturer. Naturally, this type of regulation maintains service levels by enabling much stricter penalties in the case of a violation. The offending company is not just providing bad service to the client, they're impacting the public at large.

While SEO isn't a matter of life-and-death, neither is corporate advertising and the SEO industry needs to follow suit.

Related Posts: SEO Dirty Tricks

Comments

[Chris Estes]

I have read lots of articles lately about SEO Standards. I belive you have brought up a fresh topic I haven't thought of in the debate. I have yet to find my own opinion on the topic. This debate is much like watching political debate it is hard to know the right candidate. The candidates are chosen by only an elite few and backed by big corporate interest. I wonder what Google and Yahoo's vested interest in this is. I also wonder if lobby/law firms get in on the action.

I haven't cast my opinion. Yet! But I can say there is nothing wrong with a strong ethical backing.

[CMP]

Thanks for the comment, Chris. You bring up a good question regarding what the search engine stance on this issue would be. I would expect Google / Yahoo would be in favor of a regulated SEO Industry when you consider how much time they spend trying to detect and combat decietful tactics.

[SEO services]

Great resourceful post It is.

[Professional seo company]

Thank you for posting this article. it will help me to expand my knowledge regarding SEO.

-faith-