April 3rd, 2010 by Susie

The major search engines try to serve their users effectively by delivering useful results to queries with incredible speed. Google dominates the world of search, but it does not intend to be just another ruthless multinational giant. It arguably operates like a benign dictator, keen to extend their territory but not by the most unpleasant means. While important competitors like Bing have to be considered when implementing search engine optimization, Google still largely decides the ‘rules of the game’ which seek to control the activities concerned.

Considered as a whole, SEO services have a complex relationship with Google. Some SEO outfits try to use devious means to get past the rules and codes of best practice suggested by Google. Other firms stick to the spirit and the letter of the regulations, believing that pleasing users is the only prudent way of advancing sites up the search engine results pages. As competition between SEO companies is intense, many firms flirt with grey hat tactics, usually adhering to the bulk of the rules but occasionally bending or breaching them. How far they go depends on how risk averse they are.

Many search engine optimization services pay close attention to the information which Google releases. In this fashion, they can have quite a good understanding of where the ethical lines are drawn.  Advice is offered by important figures like Matt Cutts, who often attend search engine optimisation conferences. Google aims to get as much of the SEO industry onside as possible, so the results it provides are not tarnished by excessive manipulation. In return, it is prepared to proffer pertinent SEO advice to those who are willing to take it on board.

It is crucial to remember that site visitors are not normally impressed by sites which are rated highly because they have been optimised in an unethical way. A site which is not fit for purpose will convince few people to purchase from it. The positions Google typically adopts in relation to behaviour like keyword stuffing, for example, actually do users a favour.

Some SEO professionals complain when Google expresses disapproval with regard to link purchasing, for example. However, if they suggest that Google is being too harsh in its stance, they may be forgetting that Google’s primary aim is to please its users. Furthermore, they have to remember that Google has the right to umpire its own game. SEO firms can easily choose not to pay heed to what Google has to say, but then they and their clients must be prepared to face the consequences.

Most systems have to have elements of order for them to be sustained over time. Even an anarchist society would have a type of order, after its governmental institutions had been abolished. When order is imposed, it often can create resentment or tension. Order may also conflict with ideals like democracy and liberty. There will always be rebels against authority and that is arguably as it should be. However, when it comes to Google’s desire to preserve its ranking systems from excessive manipulation, order has plenty to say in its defence.

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