GREAT exchange this week in our class discussion on the ethics of search engine marketing. My classmates seem like a group that skews older. They certainly are not shy or hesitant to offer their admissions of not being totally up-to-speed with many facets of today’s digital media. Just like me! Yet, we Boomers and soon-to-be-Boomers can take heart based on the quality and quantity of the discussions that went back and forth.
What I found so fascinating and encouraging was the overwhelming reactions defending the practice of sponsored links, paid rankings, SEO, etc that form the foundation of the search engine business model. They majority were able to see these practices within the larger context of it making the search engine tool available to the public at large. Again, many of us are still neophytes in the digital media world, yet we seem to be very understanding of the basic functions of commerce that make such a great tool like search engines available. Is this a sign of our maturity? I’d like to think so!
We are also in general agreement that the onus is on John Q. Public—young and old— to familiarize themselves with how search engines operate. No, they don’t need to know all the ins and outs and technical dynamics, just like they don’t need to know how to rebuild carburetors in order to drive a car. (Do cars still have carburetors?). But they must have an inking that search engines need to make money somehow in order to bring the free service to them. They understand that ads run on (non-satellite) radio and (non-cable or dish) TV so they can get it for free. So why the shock and awe about how search engines fund their sites? People sit through videos and dodge banner ads so they can access free content on the Web. They know this pays the bills. So why are they so surprised about search engines?
I’m not saying that deceptive practices are acceptable. I am saying that search engines are a great service and they deserve to be able to make some money. PLUS, they need to stay in business so we can use them! The cream rises to the top (read: Google) and the junk will drop to the bottom. If a search engine employs unethical or deceptive practices, the results they provide will inevitably be disappointing. Then, guess what? People will stop using the site. People stop using the site, advertisers stop funding the site. The site goes away. This is self regulation at its best! The Internet allows the public to vote with their fingers, not just by stopping to click on a site. Blogs, instant messaging, YouTube, Twitter, email, Facebook, et al. also allow disgruntled consumers to tap out their gripes– to the whole world. So if a search engine offers tainted results driven by adverting funds rather than sophisticated and objective techniques, the word will spread in a hurry. The demise of that search engine will be pretty quick, too.
