Google Owns a Search Engine Optimization Company

[Geoserv]

If you own or work with a search engine optimization company, or even if you're just hoping to better your search engine placement, then you are probably aware of the recent acquisition frenzy that took hold among the major search engines. Google paid $3.1 billion for DoubleClick, Microsoft paid $6 billion for Aquantive, and Yahoo paid $680 million for the 80 percent of Right Media that it did not already own and another $300 million for BlueLithium. The companies purchased are all intended to help widen the advertising range of each of the engines in question, and to take advantage of increasingly sophisticated behavioral-based ad-serving technologies that the acquired companies owned.

Source: American Chronicle: A Slippery Slope: Google Owns a Search Engine Optimization Company

What do you think? Conflict or not?

Geoserv.

[temi]

On one hand you can see it as conflict of interest, on the other hand you can see it as expansion, depending on where you stand.

[LinkHunter]

I actually just read that yesterday in Site Pro News and i was witing when it was going to surface!

My opinion is that they will dump the optimization company that is owned by the Parent Company!!

[Geoserv]

It is a definite conflict of interest.

No SE company should have an SEO company. Google went too far went this one.

I am a fan of Google and always support them, but not on this one.

Geoserv.

[temi]

I really cannot see the great conflict in this, its like saying SE company should not sell PPC or stuff like that.