WebProNews

SEOs should prepare to feel all warm and fuzzy.  In a document titled "What's an SEO?  Does Google recommend working with companies that offer to make my site Google-friendly?" Google's softened some of the language it uses to describe them.

The old version mentioned "a few unethical SEOs" in the fourth line and then jumped into a list of warning signs.  The revised help page introduces a negative in line three, but uses the gentler term "irresponsible."  From there, it names a lot of possible benefits.

"Many SEOs and other agencies and consultants provide useful services for website owners, including: Reviewing and providing recommendations on your site content or structure . . . Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript . . . Content development . . . Managing online business . . . development campaigns . . . Keyword research . . . SEO training."

Relatively neutral, background check-type questions follow, and then the same warnings eventually appear.  It seems Google now has fewer qualms about nudging people towards SEOs, though, or has at least decided that its old description came off as too harsh.

Barry Schwartz deserves credit for unearthing the less-than-sweet version.  And perhaps as another way of saying "sorry," Google's asking people to contribute their own SEO-related recommendations.