Firms are increasing their use of search engine marketing in which they pay search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing, for priority position listings. Social media sites such as Twitter generate revenue by offering to sell "search words" to firms so that their posting appears on top. The technique is called SEO (Search Engine Optimization). 

Are such practices ethical? Are consumers being deceived when a firm pays for priority positioning?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The ethicality of practices like search engine marketing and SEO can be subjective and depend on the transparency honesty and user experience involved ... View the full answer