Business Ethics in SEO

In today’s world of competitive SEO, working with an ethical marketing company is more important than ever. Plenty of agencies that are all about the bottom line and have no problem taking on multiple clients in the same local industry.  In my humble opinion, this causes massive conflicts in trust and results. 

The importance of Transparency

We work with a number of different clients all over the country.  Most of the industries that we work in are highly competitive.  Some of these niches are pretty well networked, and when someone is suddenly on page 1 for everything the competition notices. 

That being said, we have had a few instances where we were hired on by former clients competitors.  We have also turned down a number of high paying local SEO contacts because it was a direct conflict of interest.  We stay loyal to our clients and don’t take on their direct competition… as long as we are still working together. 

What is a Conflict of Interest in SEO?

While web design and site building are not a direct conflict; doing monthly SEO is.   Below is a screen shot from an SEO Facebook group that we are a part of.  Some of the answers are surprising to say the least.   It’s amazing what some “pro’s” have to say.

While some people have a rather jaded view of what their clients are all about, we value all of our clients and won’t pull shady nonsense like some of these guys.

False Promises

We have learned through experience that it is better to be upfront about everything and be honest… even if it hurts or could possibly cost us a client. When someone asks us for help with their SEO, we do an honest audit of the site and give reasonable expectations about time and deliverables.

Some people don’t always like that they hear, but you won’t hear false promises or outlandish expectations on any proposal that we send out. Promising someone “page 1” in a month is just bad SEO ethics.

Maintaining a good reputation

Good SEO shouldn’t hurt anyone, but it is an SEO’s job to get their clients ranking. There is always a limited amount of space on the first page, and everyone wants to be there. In our experience, many businesses don’t understand the importance of having a good internet presence until they no longer have one.

We try our best to be friendly with former clients. There have been cases where a former client have gotten quite upset that we are now helping their competition. The conversation was very close to having a heated conversation with a jealous ex rather than a former client.

Hiring an Ethical SEO

The best way to hire an SEO with ethics is to ask them questions before any agreement is made. We offer honest advice on our consultation calls, and don’t get butt hurt if someone decides to work with a larger agency that offers all the bells and whistles that we don’t.

Feel free to contact us for Local SEO help.