Wow, what news eh! That Google is acquiring DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. What a windfall for the private equity firm that bought DoubleClick for a little $1.1 billion dollars in 2005.

This is no ordinary acquisition though, at least from an SEO consultant's point-of-view. That's because of what comes with the deal: the DoubleClick subsidiary Performics, a company that offers search engine OPTIMIZATION services (as well as paid search consulting services). Who would have predicted Google would be selling SEO consulting!

I see some potentially sticky situations ahead, like when Google/Performics employees are asked to offer their big name retailer clients assistance with 'reputation management' of the top 10 Google results for their brand names -- particularly when there are already less-than-complementary results occupying the top spots that need to be pushed down and made less visible.

Can "Do what's good for the user" and "Do what's good for the client" happily coexist together? Hmmm. What do you think???

I can think of four possible scenarios ahead for Performics:

1. Google sells the Performics subsidiary
2. Google spins off Performics and somewhat "disowns" it (i.e. keeping it at an arm's length and not allowing the SEOs and the Google engineers to fraternize)
3. Google keeps Performics and discontinues selling "natural search optimization" services, sticking only with selling paid search
4. Google keeps Performics as is and endeavors to offer the most 'pearly white hat' SEO consulting this industry has ever seen! (severely hampering the SEO consultants' ability to do their job in the process)

Did I miss any other potential scenarios? (other than the deal falls through before it closes)

It should be interesting. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at the Googleplex right now.

(By way of disclosure, Performics is a partner of Netconcepts, reselling our GravityStream SEO proxy technology as Performics' "NSO Proxy".)

Just read this awesome post from Chris Smith of Verizon Directories (SuperPages.com), where he lays out his criteria for selecting an SEO firm to work with. In summary (I'm paraphrasing here), the SEO agency...:

• should have longevity and track record of at least somewhat related work
• should not have promoted itself using unrealistic promises and representations
• should have a clean record (no black-hat methods)
• should not have tried to impress with a cursory 5-minute site assessment leading to naive recommendations
• should not have insulted our technical work
• should not have made claims of secret methods/knowledge
• should have priced their services reasonably
• should have posted information on their website about the companies/sites they've done work for
• should have demonstrated strong technical work on their own site as well as clients' sites
• should have good people and make that evident on their company site
• should have projected a professional demeanor
• shouldn't have pestered or been hard-selling
• should be flexible in legal contract negotiations, once selected

Good stuff! Read Chris' full article: "How major companies choose SEOs".

(Disclaimer: yes, Verizon SuperPages.com is a client of ours, and no we don't wear sandals to business meetings.)