When I first got into SEO I did contract work for companies selling SEO services, but now I don’t and I have had some companies contact me and get real angry that I will not do the services for them without them acknowledging that I am doing the work.

Here Is Why…

Let’s say that I optimize a site for a company and this company tells their client (let’s call him Bob) that they optimized the site. Then Bob refers friends to the company explaining what great success he has had as a result of optimization.

If I am no longer working with that company and this company sells optimization services to a client and they have no clue what they are doing that client loses money. Why? Well, because I optimized a site for a client and they were not told that I did the work. The company gets the credit and, as a result, additional clients. If the company doesn’t know what they are doing the client suffers and it is essentially my fault because I did not insist that my involvement be disclosed to the client.

SEO and Ethics

There are many of us trying to be ethical, but being ethical means you have to look at your potential actions and the consequences that could result. The businesses and people we work for are #1. If your #1 priority is to do what is best for them then sometimes you need to think ahead and out-of-the-box.

Melissa Fach- SEOAware.com