Articles about search engine marketing ethics or white hat verses black hat techniques are nothing new, they pop up on a pretty regular basis. But usually, these articles are written from the industry or search engine side. This week, Jim Hedger takes a new look at the issue from the side of companies that have been burned by unethical search engine marketing firms.

From the article:

Two recent columns I wrote about organic search engine marketing have generated a larger than normal amount of reader response.

The crux of the majority of the emails focused on the subject of trust. Organic search engine optimization is understood to be a best-attempt service and that “best-attempt” attitude has obviously been exploited by the unscrupulous. I received a lot of email from folks who’ve been burned by unethical or unskilled SEO firms.

Hedger goes on to give several examples of readers that have been badly burned by so-called professional search marketers. It's not a new story, any search marketing forum on th web has at least a handful of posts a month from companies trying to figure out how to make better choices.

Unfortunately, most business owners don't know enough about search marketing to be able to make a judgement call on the techniques that a sales pitch includes. Even the ones that do know enough find it almost impossible to know if the people making the pitch are capable of following through on things.

This is why it's a good idea to ask around before you hire a firm. Talk to their customers, ask other people in the industry, or better yet, do careful research and select a firm yourself. Go with the firm that YOU choose, not a firm that tries to choose you. And don't discount asking for names from other people in the industry. Many well-known search engine marketing experts have little time to take on additional clients but are more than happy to point you in the right direction.

Read more about it in today's guest article: "Readers Concerned about SEO Ethics" by Jim Hedger.