Net Q & A

Question of the Month: April 2003

What are web site "optimizers" and why should lawyers be careful when hiring one"?

Web site optimizers are businesses that modify web sites so they will rank higher in search engines. This is a worthwhile service, but unfortunately, many such businesses use techniques that are ineffective, or even worse, unethical. Unethical techniques can include things like using "invisible" links or text (i.e., links or text that are the same color as a page's background) or using "link farms" (phony web sites that exist for no other reason but to boost the popularity of other sites by linking to them).

Unethical techniques can cause search engines to delete sites from their databases. An example is available. Further, some unethical techniques (like including competitors' names in meta tags) could also get a lawyer in trouble with legal ethics boards.

Exercise caution in hiring a search engine optimizer, and have someone knowledgeable monitor their work to make sure they don't do anything that would get you in trouble.

Jerry Lawson