As the SEO industry shows signs of maturing, with black-hat SEO companies gradually disappearing and industry growth stabilising, search marketing professionals are asking if the time is ripe for a set of SEO standards.

The prevalence of unethical SEO techniques are still an obstacle to industry standardisation.

That said the reputation of the industry has definitely improved in recent years, with many of the rogue SEO agencies either cleaning up their act or falling by the wayside.

Another obstacle to SEO standards is the diversity of services that firms provide, organic SEO is offered as part of a range of online services, including e-mail marketing, social media, paid search, online PR and media buying.

But the strength of the industry, the emergence of SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organisation), SEO training programmes and blue-ribbon conferences such as SMX and SES all indicate that the industry is maturing and could embrace a set of common search marketing standards.

Whilst all the major search engines publish acceptable standards, the industry would benefit by the search engines themselves unifying the SEO rules for in an attempt to stamp out bad practice and enhance the industries reputation.