by Russell Wright

Advertisers are expected to spend $4.087 billion dollars on search engine optimization in 2005. This number includes payment to search engines and search engine marketing companies.

But not all search engine optimization companies are created equal.

Research has shown that most VP marketing executives view search engine optimization with suspicion. To them is seems too esoteric to understand.

Rather than become educated on the long term strategies of good content and successful search results, they generally opt for a “quick fix” in order to generate instant sales. In order to meet these needs many search engine optimization wizards turn to massive pay per click (PPC) keyword buying campaigns to appease their desperate clients. Others turn to the “dark side” of SEO.

Managing pay per click marketing campaigns is not profitable for an SEO company unless the client is spending huge amounts of money. As a result it is a temptation to use technical wizardry to deceive the search engines. This is called “black hat” search engine optimization.

Additionally, serving up pages that redirect in ways that do not generate relevant search results is considered “black hat”. The argument continues among SEO professionals as to what qualifies as “black hat” SEO methodology. But most agree that a primary red flag is not disclosing information to a paying client when certain optimization methods used may get their company website or domain banned from the search engines.

Troy Janisch, president of Icon Interactive™ uses an SEO Code of Ethics in order to keep things simple.

“We have found how easy it is to confuse your average client with technical search jargon”, Janisch said. “They don’t always want to understand all the ‘funny business’ going on within the SEO industry. We use the SEOCE to keep it simple.”

Many SEO firms have also adopted the Search Engine Code of Ethics created by Bruce Clay Inc, an associate company of Icon Interactive. Most SEO analysts agree that certain “black hat” search techniques become “white hat” and acceptable in certain situations (for example cloaking to fix misspelling, or strategic text linking). But the SEO firms that have chosen to provide long term high rankings based on good content and carefully designed website infrastructure, continue to stand the test of time.