Ask Jeeves and Lycos to offer SEO services.
This story has been bubbling under on the forums Search Engines and the SEO Business A major criticism is that Lycos appears to be advocating multiple, frequent auto submission which most SEO's reckon is spamming the search engines...Shari Thurow sums up: "Some search engine optimizers feel a search engine company offering optimization services is a clear conflict of interest. Others believe it's the natural evolution of search engine monetization"
She also points out that "A level of paranoia has always existed between SEO firms and search companies. SEO firms get light praise at best from search engines. SEO firms were largely responsible for demonstrating search engines' monetization value. Now, however, they feel they're being treated like an increasingly unnecessary middleman, one that can be disposed of once search engines have learned enough of the trade"
Shari concludes “As search-friendly site designers, the search industry is good for our Web design business. But we also like the search engines because they help us in our personal and professional lives.
We understand search engines need to make money and continually provide relevant results. We have no problem with paid inclusion programs, because they allow sites with problematic URLs (such as Session IDs) to be indexed without having to undergo costly redesigns.
However, too many questions are still unanswered for us to give a wholehearted thumbs-up or thumbs-down.”
The original article describes SEO as “Modification of site-content to achieve prominent listings has always been the domain of “outsiders” in the SEO/SEM sector, thus allowing the search engines a greater degree of credibility. Unless a webmaster or SEO used deceptive or spammy techniques, the search engines could be expected to treat all sites algorithmically, in other words, equally. Now two smaller but significant search firms, both of which have deep financial dealings with Google and Yahoo, offer direct organic SEO services.
That smaller search engines feel the need to draw revenues by providing organic search optimization services to clients shows how dominant Google, Yahoo and MSN are on the search landscape. Organic website optimization is an important form of mainstream advertising and like almost every other form of mainstream marketing is about manipulation. The difference between SEOs and mainstream marketers is the audience. Every other form of marketing is about subtle manipulation of consumers, assisting buyers in making product choices. Search engine optimization is about manipulating site content to present information to electronic spiders. When the search firms blur the line between organic and obvious paid-advertising, search engine users have cause for concern. Now that two well known search firms have entered the organic market, that line may become even blurrier, a trend that should worry SEO practitioners.
At Internet Search Engine Database Jim Hedger takes a dim view: "That smaller search engines feel the need to draw revenues by providing organic search optimization services to clients shows how dominant Google, Yahoo and MSN are on the search landscape. Organic website optimization is an important form of mainstream advertising and like almost every other form of mainstream marketing is about manipulation. The difference between SEOs and mainstream marketers is the audience. Every other form of marketing is about subtle manipulation of consumers, assisting buyers in making product choices. Search engine optimization is about manipulating site content to present information to electronic spiders. When the search firms blur the line between organic and obvious paid-advertising, search engine users have cause for concern. Now that two well known search firms have entered the organic market, that line may become even blurrier, a trend that should worry SEO practitioners."
Over at Webmaster searchenginewatch Lycos, ASK to resell SEO in the US a bit of debate over who actualy broke the news...
Daria_Goetsch asks "Wouldn't this imply that search engines admit SEO is worth something by getting into the market?"
Chris_D jokes: "So you guys think that I should just tear up this Google contract to be their SEO for Hire? Ok - its a joke. I don't have any such contract. Just joking
But what would you do if Google offered your company such a contract? Conflict of interest - or put in your bid?"
KeywordMonkey (who is...Floating in a sea of search terms) comments:"Bullseye - vaporware is right. Note that Lycos, a search engine reselling SEO, doesn't have it's own index - uses Yahoo Search technology (formerly All The Web)."
Voodoo Buddha chips in with "I think its more amusing when Web Hosting companies try to get involved in SEO...If you want to see one of the worst ones, go to vianetworks.com (See those "SEO testimonials?" All done with link farms.)"
ihelpyou clarifies the relationship..." rep. They are outsourcing. The company was already named in this thread. It's a "branded" deal where the client does not know it's "not" coming from Lycos.
The SEO will give a "report" on what the client needs to change on a page by page basis. Up to 50 pages of the site is like $10,000 for this report.
The latest post by KeywordMonkey sums it all up "they sell expensive links next to search results outside their normal PPC deal. ""Dodgy" is the best way to sum it up."
posted by Jen @ 7:58 AM
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