STUDY: Consumers Don't Trust Your SEO, Social Media Marketing

sheeple

Is this guy even real?

Want to push your client’s negative reviews down in the search rankings and encourage consumers to leave positive feedback in public?

Of course you do. Unfortunately, consumers know this–and according to a survey released this week by YouGov, Bloomberg and the UK-based Chartered Institute of Marketingthey don’t like it very much:

  • 67% of consumers think using SEO tricks “to hide negative content within search results” is unethical
  • Only 38% of marketers agree

We’ll just say the average Joe on the street has very mixed feelings about some of the most popular digital tactics of the day.

See, most people–in the UK, at least–aren’t too fond of brand ambassadors:

  • Only 48% think it’s ethical to “[give] products away to encourage positive reviews online
  • Unsurprisingly, two thirds of marketers think it’s just fine

Now, some of this is cultural: The Wall Street Journal notes that a recent documentary revealed soap and...

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