There are many opinions and many suggestions concerning ethics and Code of Conduct in SEO, one thing everyone does agree on though is that those who own websites must be able to hold a particular SEO accountable to certain codes of conduct.

There are no official codes because there is no industry standard. But this does not mean that there are no expectations. SEO Companies or consultants must adhere to and provide certain standards and there are some explicit things that they can be held accountable for.

Shall Not do

Bad Search Engine Optimisation techniques are not always done intentionally, however, most are done with some prior knowledge and are used in order to ‘get ahead of the game’, so to speak. Here are a few things to take into consideration when you are working with a SEO company or SEO consultant.

The SEO of your choice should not engage in any type of behaviour which would cause their client, you, or your competitors any type of harm. Included in this behaviour are considered any techniques that may result in your website being banned or penalised on a search engine. It also includes any tactics used to interfere with your competitor’s product in order to get them dropped in the rankings and get your site into a better spot in the rankings. Black Hat Techniques qualify here.

They should not intentionally do anything which would violate search engines guidelines. They must also do nothing intentionally that would breach their client’s confidentiality or their clients privacy. At times a SEO consultant may have access to sensitive materials such as passwords or content, trademarks etc. An SEO cannot, under any circumstances, make this information public, or even discuss it with another SEO or client. Make sure you include a clause to this effect in your contact. This also includes trademarks and copyright laws, make sure that your SEO will not employ any tactics that constitute misuse in order inflate your rankings. They will not be the ones getting into trouble for this; it will be you bearing the consequences.

SEO have been known to falsely claim work that is not theirs. The reason they do this is to make their portfolio of work look more impressive. Rather ask them for specific references which you can check up on, but ask them first.

Consumers also need to be protected, and an SEO who uses bait and switch tactics is one you should walk away from. What this does is attracts traffic to your site by making them believe your site is something it is not. Cloaking falls into this category.

If you are dealing with an SEO Consultant who publicly disparages anyone they have previously worked with, they are not professional and in fact this amounts to bad business practice. You could end up being treated the same way.

It is the duty of any SEO consultant to stay current. Not adhering to this may result in unintentional bad tactics being employed on behalf of your site, but the result is the same.

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