Message from discussion 'Ethical' SEO?

Path: g2news1.google.com!news4.google.com!newshub.sdsu.edu!elnk-nf2-pas!elnk-pas-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!pd7cy1no!shaw.ca!pd7tw1no.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail
X-Trace-PostClient-IP: 24.70.230.47
From: "MM" <ngrea...@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.internet.search-engines
References: <cmdsa2$s2e$1@sparta.btinternet.com> <okclo05iha4ev0r722mor4480vvh1dsogt@4ax.com>
Subject: Re: 'Ethical' SEO?
Lines: 42
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180
X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180
X-RFC2646: Format=Flowed; Original
Message-ID: <QiOid.131499$Pl.125213@pd7tw1no>
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2004 16:58:24 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.70.95.207
X-Complaints-To: abuse@shaw.ca
X-Trace: pd7tw1no 1099673904 24.70.95.207 (Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:58:24 MST)
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:58:24 MST
Organization: Shaw Residential Internet


"SEO Dave" <seo-dav...@AMsearch-engine-optimization-services.co.uk> wrote in 
message news:okclo05iha4ev0r722mor4480vvh1dsogt@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 18:27:27 +0000 (UTC), <spam...@postmaster.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
>>BMM put links into themselves on every page they build. On their smaller
>>pages, this is a visible "Search Engine Optimisation by Big Mouth Media"
>>tag, with a clickable link. They also list themselves, with a URL in the
>>pages META DATA. This is free advertising for bigmouth, and greatly 
>>improves
>>their ranking for "Search Engine Optimisation" it appears to do nothing 
>>for
>>the client at all.
>
> I think any SEO who does the above cares more about their own sites
> than their clients. The meta data reference won't have any impact on a
> pages SERPs, but a link from every page will. The SEO company is
> basically stealing PR from their clients sites, this means the clients
> site will not do as well in the SERPs as they could!

There is another way to look at this.  Since some good links can be from 
pages with little PR, and some harmful links can come from pages with great 
PR, I find that a useful strategy when it comes to linking is to link as if 
search engines didn't exist.   I want links pointing to my site on other 
sites but not if they offer hotel rooms in Phuket (for example) and my site 
is something completely unrelated.

The SEO seems to be following this general rule-of-thumb.  The ethical 
problems are related to the link being there, but not attributable to the 
link directly.  The ethical considerations are simple to rectify.  If the 
link was put there without the knowledge or consent of the site owner, then 
it's deceitful and therefore wrong.  If it was not reciprocated (equal or 
better), then that is theft of PR and that too, is wrong.

If they had permission to put the link there and replaced whatever PR they 
took with reciprocal links, then it is just a subtle unobtrusive ad.


MM