Google has updated its guidance for businesses interested in SEO to make it concise and easier to read. There’s also a new mention of AEO/GEO services, a warning about using third-party SEO tools, and for the first time ever, Google is encouraging businesses to contact the U.S. government’s Federal Trade Commission if they have a complaint about fraudulent SEO services.
There are about seven changes to the question “Do you need SEO?” ” Web page. The purpose of the page is to provide tips for deciding whether or not to hire an SEO, factors to consider during the hiring process, and tips for avoiding unethical or risky practices.
The webpage also encourages businesses to consider whether they should hire an SEO and provides links to resources to learn more about SEO to better understand whether or not it’s necessary.
The new webpage goes further than ever. It now warns businesses against using third-party SEO tools and encourages them to report questionable listings to the FTC.
AI optimization added to list of useful items is mentioned in new tips
Google has added AEO/GEO services to its list of useful and typical services offered by SEOs.
The current list:
- Reviewing the content or structure of your site
- Technical advice on website development: e.g. hosting, redirects, error pages, using JavaScript
- Content development
- Management of online business development campaigns
- Keyword research
- SEO training
- Expertise in specific markets and geographies
- Optimizing for Generative AI
- Generative AI optimization is new to the list this year. There is no further guidance on this type of optimization or description of what this type of optimization includes.
Content rewritten for clarity
Google’s encouragement to read their SEO guides has been updated for clarity. . Some of the guide has been extensively rewritten while others are simply rewritten to be more concise. The rewritten advice is essentially the same but clearer and easier to understand.
Key Change: Google Discourages SEO Tools
One of the main changes to the guidelines is a comprehensive section on third-party SEO tools. It’s not something Googlers talk about much, but Google has actively taken steps to discourage third-party tools from suppressing Google search results.
Google does not mention specific third-party tools, but does mention audits performed by the tools and advises businesses to compare tool recommendations to Google’s published guidelines.
New directions and recommendations:
“If your SEO uses a third-party tool, keep in mind that Google does not evaluate or approve third-party SEO tools and these tools do not have access to Google’s internal ranking data. Be wary of tools that claim to be “acceptable” or “approved” by Google Search.
Evaluate your SEO recommendations and the tools they use. Before making significant changes to your site based on a third-party tool’s audit, be sure to check their recommendations against the official Google Search guidelines, think critically about any claims or recommendations you hear, and make your own informed decisions.
Do they cite official Google documentation as evidence to support their recommendations? »
Cautions Regarding AEO/GEO Services
Google added AEO/GEO services to the list of useful types of services offered by SEOs, but they also issued a warning about AI optimization services, advising businesses to ensure that SEO recommendations cross the line between optimization and spam.
The new direction:
“If they have advice on optimizing AI experiences (also known as “AEO” “GEO” services), is their advice aligned with the official Google Search guidelines on optimizing generative AI features?
Are they using tools that comply with Google advice? »
Claims and guarantees
Google rewrote the ranking guarantees section. It’s essentially the same thing but more direct, concise and easier to understand.
“No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Be wary of SEOs who claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “priority submission” to Google.”
Warns about SEOs who violate Google’s anti-spam policies
Google also rewrote the section on questionable SEOs, warning that some SEOs are unethical, which Google defines as using “overly aggressive marketing” that violates spam guidelines.
The updated guidelines now state:
“Important: Although SEOs can provide valuable services to clients, some unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye by using overly aggressive marketing efforts or using techniques that violate our anti-spam policies, which may result in your site’s presence in Google being negatively adjusted, or even your site removed from our index. »
Google encourages SEO reporting to the FTC
Many SEOs consider their practices based on whether or not they violate Google’s guidelines. But in fact, there are still advertising practices laws in the United States that can make some link building techniques (paid links) possibly illegal due to FTC guidelines that require “native advertising” content to be clearly labeled.
So, being cavalier about whether Google “loves” or “hates” the way it promotes a site has always been the least important thing for SEOs to worry about. Google’s new encouragement that businesses should report SEOs that use deceptive practices should give some SEOs reason to reconsider their practices.
The new guidelines say:
« Report problems
If you feel that you have been deceived by an SEO in some way, you may want to report it.In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about deceptive or unfair marketing practices. To file a complaint, visit the FTC’s website to file a complaint online or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.
If your complaint concerns a business located in a country other than the United States, file it at https://www.econsumer.gov/.
Takeaways
Google and SEOs have always had a contentious relationship. So-called white hat SEOs, although they present themselves as ethical, have historically been the ones testing the limits of Google’s algorithms to identify flaws. For example, when Google introduced the nofollow link, originally created to disavow links posted in comments, the white hat crowd began using it to “sculpt Page Rank,” a way to prevent Google from counting “useless” pages like About Us pages in calculating how PageRank is distributed within a site. Google has updated the way nofollow links are treated by including them in PageRank distribution calculations.
Google’s relationship with the SEO industry now appears updated. Google recognizes AI optimization as a legitimate service while simultaneously warning businesses about AI optimization claims, third-party tools, and unethical SEO practices. The reference to the FTC is particularly noteworthy because it moves the discussion beyond Google’s guidelines and into legal territory.
Returning to the traditional adversarial relationship between Google and SEOs, this update to the question “Do you need SEO?” » increases the pressure on SEOs who offer shady services.
Featured image by Shutterstock/Blueastro
