How Damaging Would it Be if Google Provided SEO Services?
There have been murmurings for some time that Google are planning to enter the world of SEO. These murmurings have recently turned into shouts, with many seeing the move as imminent.
So what threat does this pose to your rankings and to SEO professionals like myself? Well, initially not a great deal. For a start the service is likely to cost thousands of dollars each month (initial claims suggest $25,000), so it will be well out of reach for most websites.
This is a service set up for the super rich. It is supposed to help the big brands achieve the rankings they ‘deserve’ and keep them out of the clutches of companies who leach off of them. For Google, the major advantage is that they can have a better control over their rankings and ensure that they aren’t getting gamed.
The problem arises when it comes to favouritism. If Google are working with companies to do their SEO, they surely have a distinct advantage. After all, who knows the Google algorithm better than Google themselves? Could it be argued that by getting Google SEO help, you are in fact just buying your way to the top of the rankings?
Of course it is still only speculation at this point so nothing is known for certain. But for everyday website owners this really shouldn’t be seen as a risk or a threat. By adhering to Google’s best practices guide you will be doing all you can to improve your own SEO position, just without the hefty price tag.
How many of your competitors can you imagine having the thousands of pounds available to take up this offer? Not many. Global corporations and major ecommerce sites might see it as a worthwhile investment to ensure that they are getting the full benefit of their potential Google traffic. Many won’t.
Impartiality, as previously states, is likely to be the biggest sticking point. Google don’t sell rankings at the moment but, it could easily be argued, that this might be the start of such an action – albeit in a slightly round the houses type of fashion. For $25,000 a month you’d certainly hope to get to the top of Google, that is for sure.
So Google aren’t providing direct competition to the SEO community (assuming they do actually go ahead with their plans), they are simply offering a new service, the likes of which just aren’t available currently. They have a huge advantage over most of us, being as though they have a pretty decent understanding of their algorithm. But maybe that could well benefit the wider community by revealing some of the secrets behind not just good SEO, but perfect SEO.
