Updated: 2008-02-07T03:59:56+00:00
SEO Contests are competitions between SEO Specialists and others who want to either showcase their search engine optimization skills or test their own knowledge of SEO.

Typically, a contest is set up and a keyword or keyphrase is defined by the contest holder. The object of the contest then is to develop a website or a web page that is optimized for that keyword or key phrase, for instance, SEO Contest 2008 , SEOContest2008

The goal then is to obtain the 1st position rank for a search engine or several search engines for the given keyword.

Unless the contest holder’s rules specify against it, most participants will attempt to register a domain name containing the keyphrase.

The next step in developing a contest entry is to provide content. Because the keyphrase is the equivalent of an imaginary word, any content will suffice. Most people choose to talk about the contest, the current rankings, and how they are doing in the contest. Others choose to write stories or even use random text generation to provide content.

Content and relevant domain names are a good start but that’s just the beginning. The real work begins in obtaining backlinks. Under normal circumstances, SEO experts move at a slow even pace in achieving backlinks that are relevant to their site topic. In SEO Contests, other than other contest sites, there really aren’t any sites that are relevant to your keyword so the tendency is to acquire as many highly ranked web sites as possible.

Much of how the contest will conclude also depends on the timing of the contest. A long term contest lasting around a year will call for a different strategy than a shorter contest.

Long term contests have both the benefit and detriment of having to survive multiple Google updates.

Google updates make or break your contest entry. If you’ve engaged in any black hat SEO, the more updates that you pass, the more likely it is that Google will discover your technique and penalize your site. A short term contest allows more flexibility in your seo technique. You can get your hat a little dirty and not be in much danger of loosing your ranking because of a Google penalty.

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