The truth is that the overwhelming majority of laws that will be put into place regarding the dynamics of online business have yet to be written. When it comes to the legalities of search engine optimization tactics, there’s hardly any precedent on the issue let alone laws on the books. With that said, online marketers on either side of the SEO platform are still at risk for committing internet actions that may be deemed unlawful by the courts, or at the very least justify a claimant’s lawsuit. It’s important young internet marketers consider the following before getting down to serious business:
The Importance of a Disclaimer
When you hire a SEO to come in and enhance a website, or are offering this service to someone who has a site that needs sprucing up, there’s a gray area of content ownership and manipulation that is more or less undefined by any legal precedent.
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Let’s say a company’s website claims they sell a product that can erase tattoos and pays a SEO to fix the site wherein the language is adjusted to imply a “promise”. If a customer sues for a failure of the product to fulfill the promise, then there’s confusion as to who is to blame.
This can be best remedied by dedication to creating the proper disclaimer for such a website. Old tricks are the best tricks. By including a page wherein a disclaimer is available notifying visitors that the makers “do not guarantee results” or something similar, then the whole mess can be avoided in the first place by making such a lawsuit dead on arrival.
The Importance of Contract Management
The second best defense against content creation confusion leading to mixed up lawsuit targets is investing in some quality contract management software. Contract management helps each side have a complete understanding of their obligations and increases compliance.
In the event of legal trouble, contracts that have been created via software and, therefore are designed with the eyes of a judge in mind, stand a better chance of surviving scrutiny in their legal binding. Contracts written by individuals without the assistance of an attorney can be flawed and considered unreliable.
The Importance of Media Law and Search Engine Law Fluency
Read up on your media law. It’s essentially that anybody working in marketing be able to do more than explain the general differences between copyright and patent law when pressed to discuss the issue.
There’s still a lot of law left to be written when it comes to the ins and outs of internet marketing, especially when it comes to SEO. But that’s why staying up to date is vital. What other way are you going to remain aware as to what the law is having to say about this booming business?
Don’t neglect the importance of legal protection and remaining current on relevant court proceedings and rulings. In order to become a successful internet marketer, you have to first respect the rules of the game and know how to avoid breaking them, or worse, getting hung out to dry because you neglected them.
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- 5 Steps to Strategically Managing Your SEO Provider (searchenginewatch.com)
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- Challenges Creating Compelling SEO Content in the Enterprise (searchenginewatch.com)
