If you're new here, you may want to sign up for email alerts or to subscribe to my RSS feed.

You all know that Google slapped bloggers and webmasters around the web in the face at its latest PR update. And you all heard that Google “hates” SEOs for trying to manipulate rankings. What you probably didn’t know is that Google OWNS an SEO company – known under the name of “Performics.”

Now I am not going to debate this – my title today says it loud and clear how I feel about the whole issue – and basically how I felt since Google purchased DoubleClick. “Be afraid. Be very very afraid,” I said back then. Nothing changed. Except that now you actually know which company to hire if you want top placement in the Google SERP guaranteed. Because, isn’t it, Performics is owned by Google and Google is a company that “strives excellence” and that does everything for customer satisfaction. What Google forgets is where it came from and it also forgets the meaning of “respect.”

So let’s give some definitions for Google, just in case.

Respect (ri-spekt´) v.t. 1To have deferential regard for; esteem. 2 To treat with propriety or consideration. 3 To avoid intruding upon; regard as inviolable. 4 To have reference to; concern. – n. 1 A high regard for an appreciation of worth; esteem. 2 Due regard or consideration: respect for the law. 3 pl. Expression of consideration; compliments: to pay one’s respects, 4 The condition of being honored or respected. 5 A specific aspect or detail: In some respects the plan is impractical. 6 Reference or relation: usu. With to: with respect to profits.

Now, in some respects Google has no respect for its users. Its hypocrisy knows no borders.

Performics is an SEO company – one that uses all the traditional SEO techniques to rank its clients “naturally” in the search engines (this would be the happiest scenario). These techniques will include, of course, linking strategies – probably links purchasing too. And link exchangesvery “unnatural” SERP strategies according to Google all mighty.

And I can bet that NONE of Performics’ clients lost its PageRank at the latest Google PR update.

In a different scenario I can only see Performics promising “top Google rankings guaranteed” simply because they will rank sites manually. And no one can possibly slap Google one in this case.

Now what Google did in the past 6 months leaves a bitter taste for many webmasters:

Deindexing blogs for “selling links,” lowering their PR (PageRank) and thus lowering their chances of revenue, And what Google forgot in this process is that ALL of these webmasters are its USERS. Those USERS who expect quality and a respectful treatment. Those USERS who made Google what it is today: the most powerful search engine of them all.

Google also forgot that all those webmasters worked hard to achieve the SE rankings and PageRanks: both natural search engine optimization or paid strategies require time and effort, work and sweat. Google destroyed on purpose the dreams of many. The “do no evil” slogan raises now many questions.

So what can we do? There is only one solution: remind Google of its roots. Drive it back to its garage, that’s what.

And turn to better, user friendlier search engines. I say start using hakia, use Ask.com – anything else. Of course it is hard to avoid living under Google’s evil reign. Google is everywhere and it is hard to know what they really own or not. But you can have some fun checking out the list of Google acquisitions at the Wikipedia.