Google gets rid of its highly controversial search marketing business.

Google has made quite a few acquisitions lately, and one of them — the DoubleClick acquisition — brought them a search engine marketing company on board as well.

Google has been heavily criticized for this. A search marketing company will have search engine optimization as one of its main objectives, and people will soon begin to suspect that a company that is owned by Google will have certain advantages when it comes to insight into Google’s algorithms.

It is the ability to understand the ranking methods of Google that counts most in the search engine marketing business.

The French Publicis Groupe will now take over the DoubleClick Performics search marketing business from Google.

According to the press release Performics now employs nearly 200 search marketing specialists with employees in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, London, Hamburg, Sydney, Singapore and Beijing.

The business will report to Curt Hecht, President of the VivaKi Nerve Center, a part of Publicis.

Google has kept one part of Perfomics, namely the affiliate marketing business, turning it into a competitor of heavy weights like Commission Junction.

We believe Google has made a wise move. To keep the affiliate marketing business makes sense, as it broadens Google’s advertising portfolio. To offer search marketing services, on the other hand, is too much of a conflict of interest.

See also Read/Write Google Sells Performics Search Marketing Business to Publicis Groupe