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| {{Short description|Competition on search engines}} | |||
| '''SEO (]) contests''' have become an important method for webmasters to promote their web sites and gain web traffic. While the contestants compete for prizes, fame or glory, the organising body often benefits as well. | |||
| {{Multiple issues| | |||
| {{Update|date=June 2017}} | |||
| {{More citations needed|date=January 2007}} | |||
| }} | |||
| <!-- Hi, spammers! Don't even think about it! --> | |||
| <!-- Your links will not stay long enough to help your search engine ranking --> | |||
| An '''SEO contest''' is a prize activity that challenges ] (SEO) practitioners to achieve high ranking under major ]s such as ], ], and ] using certain ](s). This type of contest is controversial because it often leads to massive amounts of ] as participants try to boost the rankings of their pages by any means available. The SEO competitors hold the activity without the promotion of a product or service in mind, or they may organize a contest in order to market something on the Internet. Participants can showcase their skills and potentially discover and share new techniques for promoting websites. | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| The '']'' competition by is widely acclaimed as the mother of all SEO contests. It was started on ], ] and was won two months later by ]. | |||
| The first recorded SEO contest was ] by German webmasters, started on November 15, 2002, in the ]-language ] group. In the ]-language world, the '''''nigritude ultramarine''''' competition created by DarkBlue.com<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dashes.com/anil/2004/06/nigritude-ultra.html |work=Blog |title=Nigritude Ultramarine - Anil Dash |access-date=2012-07-28}}</ref> and run by SearchGuild is widely acclaimed as the mother of all SEO contests.<ref>{{cite web|title=DarkBlue SEO Challenge competition details|url=http://darkblue.com/seochallenge/|accessdate=21 May 2014|quote=SEOChallenge - Nigritude Ultramarine is now over}}</ref> It was started on May 7, 2004, and was won two months later by ]. On September 1 of the same year, webmasters were challenged to rank number 1 on ] in three months' time for the search phrase '''''seraphim proudleduck'''''.<ref>{{cite web|title="seraphim proudleduck" Contest Announcement|url=http://www.salmonbones.co.uk/google.html|publisher=Internet Archive|accessdate=21 May 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041101031844/http://www.salmonbones.co.uk/google.html|archivedate=1 November 2004|location=UK|year=2004|quote=Salmonbones.co.uk is pleased to announce a contest in which anyone who has the ability to publish a page on the web can win. On January the 1st, 2005 at 1am (in the UK) the highest ranked page in google for the search term 'seraphim proudleduck' shall win its publisher £1000. A bonus prize exists for the highest ranked image in google for the same search term.}}</ref> | |||
| On ] of the same year, webmasters were challenged to rank #1 on ] in three months time for the search phrase '']''. | |||
| In the first quarter of 2005, people were competing for the term '' |
In the first quarter of 2005, people were competing for the term ''loquine glupe'', spawning web sites ranging from shampoo advertising to holiday resorts. The page that won in the end used many questionable techniques like ] and "domain age".{{Citation needed|reason=Sept 2007|date=September 2007}} | ||
| Internationally, in 2005, two major contests took place in Europe. In ] the ''Hommingberger Gepardenforelle'' ({{IPA|de|ˈhɔmɪŋˌbɛʁgɐ̯ ɡeˈpaʁdn̩foˌʁɛlə}}, literally ''Cheetah ] of Hommingberg'', but neither the fish nor the place actually exist) by the computer magazine '']'' spawned almost 4 million results; its goal was to find out how search engines rank sites. In ] almost at same time, the Polish SEO community organized the msnbetter thangoogle contest. It topped the 4-million mark but failed to reach its goal to promote SEO in Poland and to get search engines companies' attention for the Polish market. Some current and pending contests are listed below. | |||
| A competition in progress as of ], ] is SEOLogs' '']'', another set of made-up words. It is scheduled to end on ], ]. | |||
| A competition ran from January 1, 2006, to March 1, 2006, and carried the term ''redscowl bluesingsky'', another set of made-up words. It was sponsored by SEOLogs. ] won this contest, and since he contributed the winner's money, he donated it to the runner-up. | |||
| Future SEO contests that have been announced already are the one by SEO forum administrator John Scott and another SEO, . In this particular contest, both competitions will use the same search phrase, but each will have its own set of special rules. | |||
| Since then, SEO contests have become a part of some academic classes. In 2008, ] at ] created a contest for his students. In 2010, ] picked it up at ]. | |||
| ==The basics== | |||
| All these contests appear to be based on a number of common factors: | |||
| *In simple words, a SEO contest invites webmasters to ] the search engines. | |||
| *While there are many ] around, they all seem to focus on Google in particular. Google is known to be a difficult search engine to rank well on, especially for new web sites. | |||
| *Most SEO contests expect people to optimize a single web page for a non-existent phrase of two silly words. The main reason for this is to keep existing web sites from getting a head start. But at the same time it makes sure that regular ] searchers won't be bombarded with "spammy" results when searching the ] for "regular" information. | |||
| *] seem to do well at these challenges, indicating in a way that blogs are preferred by search engines over regular websites, especially when it comes to newsworthy and fresh information of a temporary nature. | |||
| In 2019, the web development company ] ran an SEO competition with two SEO agencies trying to rank for the term "Wix SEO," with Marie Haynes Consulting Inc., an SEO agency from Ottawa, Canada, winning the $25,000 prize.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wix.com/seo-battle|title=Wix SEO Battle {{!}} Lovers vs. Haters {{!}} Wix.com|website=Wix SEO Battle {{!}} Lovers vs. Haters {{!}} Wix.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mariehaynes.com/closing-thoughts-on-the-wix-seo-competition/|title=Closing thoughts on the Wix SEO competition, and how we made our final push|date=2019-12-30|website=Marie Haynes Consulting|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-10}}</ref> | |||
| ==The differences== | |||
| SEO Contest: Multicanal Search Marketing Competition | |||
| Certain special rules and limitations are invented to set contest apart from the rest. Often, these limitations will make it harder to benefit from the ranking algorithm - including quirks - of the targetted search engine. For example, the January 2006 Redscowl Bluesingsky contest issued by is open for ''new domains'' only. That means that the contestants cannot benefit from the ranking advantage old web sites are thought to have over new ones. An example of that is the age advantage had over the well-received but brand new - respectively ended 1st and 6th in the Nigritude Ultramarine challenge. Most likely, the Redscowl Bluesingsky game will be won by a domain of the style which is bound to attract natural links, and benefit from the fact that the ] is made up entirely of the search words. | |||
| The Multicanal Search Marketing Competition is an innovative SEO contest organized to challenge participants on their ability to optimize for search engines while integrating multichannel marketing strategies. The competition encourages creative and technical approaches to achieve high rankings on search engines using diverse digital tools and tactics. One notable entry in this contest is the Stratégie de Citrouilles Algorithmiques<ref>{{cite web |url=https://strategiedescitrouillesalgorithmiques.fr|work=Blog |title=Stratégie decitrouillesalgorithmiques- Anil Dash |access-date=2024-11-29}}</ref>, which combines algorithmic principles and thematic storytelling to create a unique and engaging approach to SEO. | |||
| ==Tactics== | |||
| ⚫ | Another special rule that fits well with the |
||
| Some ] resort to spam, while others use white-hat optimization techniques, like providing good content covering the competition, or optimizing page titles.<ref>{{cite news|date=July 8, 2004|title=Important Search Engine Optimizations|publisher=L4RG.com|url=https://l4rg.wordpress.com/2021/12/01/black-hat-white-hat-search-engine-optimization/|accessdate=2021-12-01}}</ref> Most SEO contests expect people to optimize a single web page for a non-existent phrase of two silly words. This is to keep existing web sites from getting a ] and to make sure that regular ] searchers will not be shown contest pages when searching the ] for other information. | |||
| Rules and limitations can make it harder to benefit from the ranking ] of the targeted search engine. The January 2006 Redscowl Bluesingsky contest issued by seologs.com was open for domains created after the start of the competition only. This meant that the contestants could not benefit from the ranking advantage old web sites have over new ones. Also, it was expected that the Redscowl Bluesingsky game would be won by a domain made up entirely of the search words, such as "redscowl-bluesingsky.com", which would attract natural links and be likely to benefit from the simplicity of the ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Another special rule that fits well with the "purpose" of SEO contests today is the obligation to "link back" to the organizing body, often a search engine optimization site. Since a web document's ranking on major search engines like ], ], or ] was at one point mainly determined by internet ] pointing to that document, forcing webmasters to link to a web site was quite a powerful way to increase its web presence. The contests announced by V7N (using the phrase v7ndotcom elursrebmem) and its counterpart by WebGuerrilla are good examples. While the first of these originally required the contestants to link to V7N forums, the second forbids its players to do just that. Instead, a special link to Google engineer ]' blog is imperative. Because of this rivalry, both the rules and prize money for both of these SEO contests were updated regularly up until the official start date of January 15, 2006. | ||
| ==Responses== | |||
| ]'s John Mueller has warned people in 2019 that SEO contests are a waste of time and effort. Mueller says “SEO contests are pretty useless. SEO contests never reflect real life-performance, they generate a ton of ] that negatively affects the whole ecosystem, they’re a big waste of time & effort. The smart approach to SEO contests is to ignore them.”<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last1=434shares|last2=7.9kreads|date=2019-05-09|title=Google: SEO Contests Are Useless and Should Be Ignored|url=https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-seo-contests-are-useless-and-should-be-ignored/306899/|access-date=2021-11-01|website=Search Engine Journal|language=en}}</ref> Muller adds that anyone considering participating in an SEO contest should devote their time and effort to something more productive. “If you’re thinking of running or taking part in one, consider just improving your services overall, making the websites you work on stronger & better for the long run, instead of trying to play useless, short-term games.”<ref name=":0" /> | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] and ] | |||
| == |
==References== | ||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Seo Contest}} | |||
| ]] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 13:27, 29 November 2024
Competition on search engines | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
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An SEO contest is a prize activity that challenges search engine optimization (SEO) practitioners to achieve high ranking under major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN using certain keyword(s). This type of contest is controversial because it often leads to massive amounts of link spamming as participants try to boost the rankings of their pages by any means available. The SEO competitors hold the activity without the promotion of a product or service in mind, or they may organize a contest in order to market something on the Internet. Participants can showcase their skills and potentially discover and share new techniques for promoting websites.
History
The first recorded SEO contest was Schnitzelmitkartoffelsalat by German webmasters, started on November 15, 2002, in the German-language usenet group. In the English-language world, the nigritude ultramarine competition created by DarkBlue.com and run by SearchGuild is widely acclaimed as the mother of all SEO contests. It was started on May 7, 2004, and was won two months later by Anil Dash. On September 1 of the same year, webmasters were challenged to rank number 1 on Google in three months' time for the search phrase seraphim proudleduck.
In the first quarter of 2005, people were competing for the term loquine glupe, spawning web sites ranging from shampoo advertising to holiday resorts. The page that won in the end used many questionable techniques like "keyword stuffing" and "domain age".
Internationally, in 2005, two major contests took place in Europe. In Germany the Hommingberger Gepardenforelle (German pronunciation: [ˈhɔmɪŋˌbɛʁgɐ̯ ɡeˈpaʁdn̩foˌʁɛlə], literally Cheetah Trout of Hommingberg, but neither the fish nor the place actually exist) by the computer magazine c't spawned almost 4 million results; its goal was to find out how search engines rank sites. In Poland almost at same time, the Polish SEO community organized the msnbetter thangoogle contest. It topped the 4-million mark but failed to reach its goal to promote SEO in Poland and to get search engines companies' attention for the Polish market. Some current and pending contests are listed below.
A competition ran from January 1, 2006, to March 1, 2006, and carried the term redscowl bluesingsky, another set of made-up words. It was sponsored by SEOLogs. Shoemoney won this contest, and since he contributed the winner's money, he donated it to the runner-up.
Since then, SEO contests have become a part of some academic classes. In 2008, Luis von Ahn at Carnegie Mellon University created a contest for his students. In 2010, Adam Wierman picked it up at Caltech.
In 2019, the web development company Wix ran an SEO competition with two SEO agencies trying to rank for the term "Wix SEO," with Marie Haynes Consulting Inc., an SEO agency from Ottawa, Canada, winning the $25,000 prize. SEO Contest: Multicanal Search Marketing Competition The Multicanal Search Marketing Competition is an innovative SEO contest organized to challenge participants on their ability to optimize for search engines while integrating multichannel marketing strategies. The competition encourages creative and technical approaches to achieve high rankings on search engines using diverse digital tools and tactics. One notable entry in this contest is the Stratégie de Citrouilles Algorithmiques, which combines algorithmic principles and thematic storytelling to create a unique and engaging approach to SEO.
Tactics
Some webmasters resort to spam, while others use white-hat optimization techniques, like providing good content covering the competition, or optimizing page titles. Most SEO contests expect people to optimize a single web page for a non-existent phrase of two silly words. This is to keep existing web sites from getting a head start and to make sure that regular internet searchers will not be shown contest pages when searching the web for other information.
Rules and limitations can make it harder to benefit from the ranking algorithm of the targeted search engine. The January 2006 Redscowl Bluesingsky contest issued by seologs.com was open for domains created after the start of the competition only. This meant that the contestants could not benefit from the ranking advantage old web sites have over new ones. Also, it was expected that the Redscowl Bluesingsky game would be won by a domain made up entirely of the search words, such as "redscowl-bluesingsky.com", which would attract natural links and be likely to benefit from the simplicity of the URL.
Another special rule that fits well with the "purpose" of SEO contests today is the obligation to "link back" to the organizing body, often a search engine optimization site. Since a web document's ranking on major search engines like Yahoo!, Google, or MSN Search was at one point mainly determined by internet hyperlinks pointing to that document, forcing webmasters to link to a web site was quite a powerful way to increase its web presence. The contests announced by V7N (using the phrase v7ndotcom elursrebmem) and its counterpart by WebGuerrilla are good examples. While the first of these originally required the contestants to link to V7N forums, the second forbids its players to do just that. Instead, a special link to Google engineer Matt Cutts' blog is imperative. Because of this rivalry, both the rules and prize money for both of these SEO contests were updated regularly up until the official start date of January 15, 2006.
Responses
Google's John Mueller has warned people in 2019 that SEO contests are a waste of time and effort. Mueller says “SEO contests are pretty useless. SEO contests never reflect real life-performance, they generate a ton of spam that negatively affects the whole ecosystem, they’re a big waste of time & effort. The smart approach to SEO contests is to ignore them.” Muller adds that anyone considering participating in an SEO contest should devote their time and effort to something more productive. “If you’re thinking of running or taking part in one, consider just improving your services overall, making the websites you work on stronger & better for the long run, instead of trying to play useless, short-term games.”
See also
References
- "Nigritude Ultramarine - Anil Dash". Blog. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
- "DarkBlue SEO Challenge competition details". Retrieved 21 May 2014.
SEOChallenge - Nigritude Ultramarine is now over
- ""seraphim proudleduck" Contest Announcement". UK: Internet Archive. 2004. Archived from the original on 1 November 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
Salmonbones.co.uk is pleased to announce a contest in which anyone who has the ability to publish a page on the web can win. On January the 1st, 2005 at 1am (in the UK) the highest ranked page in google for the search term 'seraphim proudleduck' shall win its publisher £1000. A bonus prize exists for the highest ranked image in google for the same search term.
- "Wix SEO Battle | Lovers vs. Haters | Wix.com". Wix SEO Battle | Lovers vs. Haters | Wix.com. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- "Closing thoughts on the Wix SEO competition, and how we made our final push". Marie Haynes Consulting. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- "Stratégie decitrouillesalgorithmiques- Anil Dash". Blog. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- "Important Search Engine Optimizations". L4RG.com. July 8, 2004. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
- ^ 434shares; 7.9kreads (2019-05-09). "Google: SEO Contests Are Useless and Should Be Ignored". Search Engine Journal. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)