Earlier today a professional acquaintance of mine posted on Google +1 an article by John R. Quain from Fox News titled “3 Reasons Google Is Killing Internet Search,” and labeled Search Engine Optimization as one of his reasons. His other reasons included “it’s tough to be King,” and “Faulty Algorithms.”

Search Engine Optimization:

“Still more corrosive are attempts at so-called search engine optimization or SEO. Experts in this area promise companies that they can improve page rankings by doing everything from fixing keywords to reorganizing a Web site.

SEO firms argue strenuously that they are legitimate businesses, but in general much of what they do undermines Google’s original intent, namely to analyze the content of pages and Web sites, independently determine what those page are about, and deliver relevant results.

Attempts to change the content of what’s on a page to make it more appealing to the search engine in effect changes that information, often making it less relevant and in effect foiling the search engine’s endeavors to be accurate.

Our search results were just fine before SEO came along, thank you very much.

All of this is a result of the fact that Google is the world’s most popular search engine, which makes it a target. Google fights a daily cyberbattle to keep its results relevant, but it appears to be losing the war, drowning in a sea of SEO.

Perhaps the only way to make Google better is to make it less popular.

So the next time you go to Google something, don’t. Try a different search engine, such as WolframAlpha (for scientific topics), Omgili (for message boards and discussion groups), Lycos, DuckDuckGo, or Quintura. They may give you better results — and help save Google in the process.”

SEO firms argue strenuously that they are legitimate businesses

The SEO scene without a doubt has it’s problems as do most industries. If Quain considers SEO Firms who pay taxes, provide jobs, stimulate their local economy and provide a value added service to small business owners with very limited budgets the opportunity to compete illegitimate, then there’s either a screw loose or he has personal reasons for smacking the SEO Scene.

Our search results were just fine before SEO came along, thank you very much.

I’m not sure which rock Quain has been hiding under but SEO has has been around just about since the beginning of search engines. The only difference is there are more and more text book ‘SEO Experts’ popping up.

So the next time you go to Google something, don’t. Try a different search engine, such as WolframAlpha (for scientific topics), Omgili (for message boards and discussion groups), Lycos, DuckDuckGo, or Quintura. They may give you better results — and help save Google in the process.”

Don’t waste your breath – Google is by far too convenient and accessible. Oh and next time you have the urge to see what’s happening on Fox why not try a different news source (one that isn’t owned by News Corp) like CNN or MSNBC?

My final comment is this: In addition to SEO, Quain claims that Google’s Algorithm is faulty. This comment alone leaves me to believe that Quain at some point investment some time into trying to figure out Google’s Faulty Algorithm and failed.

Now that I’ve guess how about you give it a shot in the comments below.