Despite recent reports that the FTC is set to approve the deal sans sanctions, Google continues to face opposition from consumer privacy advocates and EU scrutiny of its proposed buyout of
DoubleClick. But the acquisition will also give Google ownership of Performics, a rather large SEO company, a fact that is "raising some eyebrows in the industry," according to Scott Buresh
It's a conflict of interest question -- since although the search giant has kept a wall between paid and natural search results (with even that under scrutiny, as of late), marketers that
choose to use Performics will essentially be paying Google to optimize their search results... well, for Google.
Buresh includes actual quotes from Google representatives regarding
the resulting acquisition of Performics and the search giant's intentions for the SEO firm (nothing's slated to change). He also discusses possible scenarios Google could choose for moving forward
with this issue, including spinning off Performics as an independent entity.
Read the whole story at Search Engine Guide »