Google has updated its official documentation on shady SEO, adding a new and significant element: a direct reference to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as the recipient for reports against SEO professionals using fraudulent practices.
A move that shifts the conversation from the realm of Google's guidelines into the legal realm.
What Changed in the Documentation
Google rewrote the section on "shady SEO" — agencies and consultants that use bad practices to sell their services. The new version:
- Explicitly encourages contacting the FTC in case of complaints against fraudulent SEO providers
- Warns about the use of third-party SEO tools and exaggerated claims
- Warns about promises tied to AI SEO — recognizing the service as legitimate, but flagging the risks of unrealistic claims
- Redefines what "unethical" means in an SEO context: Google identifies as unethical any overly aggressive marketing practices that violate its anti-spam guidelines
Why the FTC Reference Matters
Until now, Google's message about bad SEO professionals was limited to: "be careful, check references, avoid anyone promising guaranteed results." Useful, but without concrete consequences.
Adding the FTC changes the tone. It means Google considers some SEO practices not just contrary to its own guidelines, but potentially unlawful from a commercial standpoint — and that there's a competent authority to turn to.
For those operating in Italy, the equivalent of the FTC is the AGCM (the Italian Competition and Market Authority), which handles unfair commercial practices and misleading advertising.
The Warning About AI SEO
The most interesting part of the update concerns AI SEO. Google recognizes optimization for AI engines as a legitimate activity — an important signal in a sector that's still relatively new.
But at the same time it warns that many services branding themselves as "AI SEO" make exaggerated claims that are hard to verify. It's a gray area where it's easy to sell promises that are impossible to measure: visibility on ChatGPT, citations on Perplexity, ranking in generative engines.
Google isn't saying AI SEO doesn't work. It's saying you should be wary of anyone selling guaranteed results in a context that's still evolving, where reference metrics aren't standardized.
How to Spot Shady SEO
Based on Google's updated guidelines, here are the warning signs to watch for:
- Promises of guaranteed results — no serious SEO provider can guarantee specific rankings on Google
- Secret or patented techniques — if they won't explain what they do, there's a reason
- Prices that are too low — serious SEO takes time and expertise
- Requests for account access without clear explanations — a risk of manipulation
- Promises of immediate results — organic SEO takes months, not days
- Exaggerated claims about AI — "we'll guarantee you show up on ChatGPT" is a red flag
Google's update is a signal that the SEO industry is maturing — and that bad practices are no longer just an ethical problem, but a potentially legal one. For those who take SEO seriously, it's good news: less noise around them, more room for those who work with method and transparency.