Does anyone know what the SEs take on SEO contests is? Do they support them or do they frown upon them? I ask because if I were a SE I would certainly not support them. Google, for instance, keeps details about their algorithm very close to their chest and these SEO contests could give certain insights into the algorithm.
Thats part of the fun of the SEO contest. One its to be able to say to everyone look at what I can do. The second is to force the SE's to get better at what they do and start doing it right. Third its to show Google that we already know a bunch about the ALGO and we get closer every day to knowing what it is. That being said I really don't care about the actual algo I know what works, what can get you banned, and how to do it, as do many folks here, so all we really are doing is competing against each other for a term that nobody but us cares about. Nothin wrong with that.
Plus, if you are the person putting on the contest, it’s a great way to get a ton of people to build back links and more, for free (or small investment), Sure, it’s a worthless term, but there is a lot you can do with the page after the contest is over; worth a LOT more than the sum total of the prize money given away!
If I was google I would pay very close attention to it. Huge numbers of seo experts and webmasters will be analysing the results and if a spammy site wins then its google who look bad. If good sites with lots of good backlinks fill the top 10 spots then everybody will say that google is doing a great job.
Such an old thread, but I want to talk again about it... In August, in the Isulong SEOph contest... the SERPs were changing everyday, positions swtiching on the first page. Sites going up, going down. Then suddenly after August 26, 2006. The SERPs stopped. They still move around but not as fluid as it was during the most of August. The contest ends on Sept 30 and there is barely no changes. Do you think Google knows about it and made it freeze a bit? Because if it is fluid, people will keep on trying to out do the others and just spam in the internet with links everywhere.
^ i think the isulong seoph contest is not more on bls anymore. remember this site who used to spam and cloak for bls got the #1 spot before? now his site is down to page 2. perhaps someone must have told google about the black hat technique. nevertheless, i think it's because the authority sites rule... the question is, how could you determine one as "authority"? my guts are telling me that age, pr, # of weeks on that certain serp matters (ranking flux or ranking average). it's just a hunch.