Dec 30 2005

SEO Contests : Win $1,000 for Google Ranking

SEO Contests : Win $1,000 for Google Ranking

The v7 Network is hosting a new SEO contest for sites around the globe to compete for the #1 thru #5 rankings of a currently non-existant term on Google. The contest is offering a first place prize of $1,000, $500 to the runner up, and $100 each for the third, fourth, and fifth place positions in Google.

The target keywords for the v7 Network’s competition will be a set of two terms (like nigritude ultramarine) and will be announced on Jan 15, 2006. Only catch to the contest is that in order to qualify for the prize, sites must link to the v7n homepage, which boils down to forced linking to enter a Google SEO contest which will pay the top site $1,000. (note, John at v7n has added that “the link can be JavaScript. Or it can have a nofollow attribute. It just has to be human-clickable.”)

Looks like v7n may be ready to pay out $1,800 for a hefty amount of incoming links which would regularly run double to triple the amount – one could consider the contest paid link baiting:

* v7n hopes to build its PageRank above its current ranking of 5
* incoming link PR trickles to its Seven Seek web directory, which may also benefit
* brings Seven Seek’s internal listings above the current PR 1 rankings
* which gives web publishers a reason to pay to list their sites in the directory

Paid Forced Link Baiting which trickles into a paid link directory, my gosh… someone get on the hotline and call Matt Cutts (two time Search Engine Journal Award Winner) to get his feedback on the contest and how this will effect v7n, Seven Seek, all of the sites linking to v7n, and all of the sites associated with those linking neighborhoods. Matt, would you like to drop by and lend a comment?

We’ll have more on the v7n SEO Contest on January 15th after they announce the terms, but in the meantime, Greg Boser at Web Guerrilla has issued a contest which counters the v7n prize and linking requirement with the same prize money and new requirements:

Instead of having to link to v7n’s site Greg is requiring that entries into his contest do not link to the v7n homepage and instead link to the non-www URL of the Matt Cutts blog, which Greg feels needs a bit of help: “I think this plan will greatly benefit the SEO community by getting far more people to participate. And at the same time, we’ll be able to help out a good friend.”

Again, forced linking, which brings two contests for two substancial cash prizes. Best to both v7n and Greg.

So, which contest will you be entering?

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More Posts By Loren Baker

SEO Contests : Win $1,000 for Google Ranking The v7 Network is hosting a new SEO contest for sites around the globe to compete for the #1 thru #5 rankings of a currently non-existant term on Google. The contest is offering a first place prize of $1,000, $500 to the runner up, and $100 each for the third, fourth, and fifth…
  • Amaad Uppal
    I’m Really excited!
  • Amaad Uppal
    I’m from Pakistan.I hope that’s okay. Please send a message to Uppalamaad or Amaaduppal.
  • Amaad Uppal
    I'm from Pakistan.I hope that's okay. Please send a message to Uppalamaad or Amaaduppal.
  • I agree with John and James. Chill. Enjoy. It's not hurting anyone. The web is about linking and interlinking, backwards and forwards and back again... it's just going to get more and more intertwined, just like real group relationships. I wonder how many degrees of separation there are between websites?

    For the "fun" of it, I have created a "view" for tracking the various and multiplying seo contests here http://www.seodata.com/SEO-Contest/re-default.aspx
  • I have to agree with John. Of course this thing has been done before. It will probably be done may more times before the entire web community gets bored of it.
  • It just seems like this whole contest thing has been done, you know?
  • Loren
    John,

    There is nothing on the contest page that says contestants can use a no follow link for entering the contest. On the contrary, your post states that "We are not specifying the type of link - that's entirely at your discretion."

    Instead of blatantly saying that the contest entrant can slip a condom on their link, your sentence can refer to the text that is used in the link, image vs. text, image and text, redirect, opening in a new window, anchor text.... etc.

    As an alternative to blasting the news post because I mention Bower's contest in the same breath, you could atleast try and clear things up. Why even do so? Because you claim that the contest is an effort to educate publishers on the forms of SEO which are working with Google. Since education is the mission of the contest, then why not also educate your entrants that a specific no follow code can be used... instead of attacking me or my credibility.

    By requiring a link back you are also raising the eyebrows of the search community to the consequences of entering your contest and becoming associated via link grouping with sites which may be involved in questionable manipulation of search inddexes in order to achieve such ranking. Even if a no follow is being used on the link itself, that link is still trackable by quality editors in the business, and still indexed by engines in some occasions.

    I'm not blasting your contest in any way, just addressing a concern which you have brought upon the contest due to your requirements. Your link baiting method is smart, and will be monitored throughout the SEO community and by Google... Greg's identification of the hole in your requirements and the concerns of such a linking campaign is just as valuable to not only our readers, but all practicioners of SEO.

    Thanks for dropping in, don't slip on the cow patties,
    Loren
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