Mediarun Search Marketing News

BP's search engine marketing tactics open up ethics debate

June 8th 2010

Search Engine Optimisation News

It is interesting that the ethics of search engine marketing became an issue almost as soon as search engine optimisation became a valid, independent marketing strategy. And the ethics debate, while it has come a long way since Google first became the yardstick of search engine marketing, still holds a place in the popular press's heart, as well as a hot topic of discussion amongst SEO agency professionals.

Initially, SEO Company ethicality was concerned with the techniques used by firms - and their clients - to make their way to the top of the Google rankings. This initial debate separated the SEO agency wheat from the chaff - so to speak - as some firms decided to spam search engines to death, while others focused on creating decent quality content which nodded its head to search engine optimisation.

When it became clear that some website optimisation firms were acting under the radar and offering black hat SEO techniques and link-building services - the battle lines were drawn. All of a sudden there was good search engine optimisation and bad.

Then the issue of buying up rival's pay-per-click keywords - often trademarked ones - jumped to the top of the agenda. Google appeared to see no problem with this for a while and it was open season for search engine marketing professionals, who could buy the rights to advertise with their rivals' company names and direct traffic to their own website.

And while the ethics debate has moved on, the core issues appear to be much more long lasting. BP is the latest firm to come under fire for its search engine marketing strategy - which involves buying pay per click advertising on Google for the keywords "oil spill" - among others.

Speaking to ABC News, BP spokesperson Tony Odone said: "We have bought search terms on search engines like Google to make it easier for people to find out more about our efforts in the Gulf."

Meanwhile, search engine marketing specialist Kent Jarrell told triplepundit.com: "I do it with all of my clients, because if we aren't buying the terms, somebody else is."

So while the issue of search engine optimisation ethics has been around for a while, it is still a vitally important topic of discussion for anyone involved in the industry.

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