What Happened to the Integrity of Internet Marketing?

by

John Stephen Mauldin, MLA (not AI assisted)

All right reserved, copyright © 2025

“Each day, approximately 252,000 new websites are created. By June of 2023, 1.11 billion websites were online. However, 82% were inactive, leaving only 201,898,446, or 18%, active websites.” [1]

“Seventy-one percent of businesses now have a website in 2023. This is an increase from previous years and can largely be attributed to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the shift to online commerce and remote work, companies have realized the importance of having an online presence to reach a wider audience and remain competitive in today’s digital landscape.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend of businesses establishing a web presence, a trend likely to continue. Code-free website builders have also made it easier for enterprises to create an online presence.

“According to recent statistics, 28% of all business activity is online. This shift to online commerce reflects the increasing importance of the Internet in today’s business world and the growing trend of e-commerce. The ease and convenience of online transactions have made it a popular choice among consumers, and businesses are taking advantage of this shift by expanding their online presence.

Research also indicates that "43% of small businesses are planning to invest in the performance of their website in 2023. This trend underlines the growing importance of having an effective online presence for businesses of all sizes.

"With consumers increasingly relying on the Internet to make purchasing decisions, having a well-designed and optimized website is critical for a business’s success in today’s digital landscape. These small businesses understand the potential for growth and success through a strong online presence, making website performance a top priority for their growth plans.” [2]

Yet, the soundness of moral character seems rare in this quite necessary and enormous enterprise. Why?

Considering this industry's meteoric growth, one can easily see that it quickly became a free-for-all. Consequently, the adherence to moral and ethical principles among those who call themselves Internet marketing professionals fell by the wayside. To be sure, the duplicity found there is shocking, and the reason it is perhaps the least trusted of all industries today.

For, as business owners are preoccupied with advancing in the marketplace, they often rely on specialists for various tasks, which are outsourced. In many cases, they are unfamiliar with software usage and information technology and, therefore, trust a consultant to advise them to perform mechanical tasks; too often, they do so with blind faith.

Yet, entrepreneurial business people are generally not treated with the corresponding goodwill they extend to would-be technicians. Competent and trustworthy IT professionals suffer for that mendacity, yet they are also in great demand due to the epidemic of chicanery in this indispensable trade.

Moreover, many of those who work in Internet marketing never meet their customers in person, and while that is today's norm, it lacks a certain accountability that less than professional technicians play upon. Zoom calls compensate for the absence of in-person meetings. However, never meeting a customer in person is another factor in what is sometimes a lackadaisical attitude about integrity.

So, this relatively new and ever-changing commercial behemoth attracts opportunists who mimic technological bearing, especially competence within the fray of its geometric growth that is possibly unmatched in world history. But as Thomas Jefferson said, "An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."

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[1] Varham, Raj, “How Many Websites Are There in 2024,” Techjury.com, 2024.

[2] Haan, Katherine, “Top Website Statistics for 2024,” Forbes.com, 2024.