DarkBlue, an affiliate network, has launched a SEO contest that has the SEO world churning out optimized pages and links (with optimized anchor text) for the selected term, Nigritude Ultramarine.

The contest rewards one Player - he who ranks first on June 7th, and one Stayer - he who ranks first on July 7th. The Player wins an iPod, while the Stayer wins a Sony 17" Flat Panel monitor.

DarkBlue launched a blog to cover the contest.

It's fascinating to see how quickly Google's index filled with pages optimized for "nigritude ultramarine." DarkBlue selected a term with no listings at all, launched the contest on the 7th, and at the time of this writing - 11am 051104 - there are 7,720 results.

Notice the advertisers who have bid on this term - a PPC engine that allows gambling ads and a guy fishing for email addresses who says he'll send you optimization information. Now think about who's going to be searching these terms - the SEO industry, including experts as well as those interested in how the contest is faring. Quite smart!

The DarkBlue blog as well as SEORoundTable have pointed to the various forums that are joining together to rank their pages higher for the term. A member from the SEOChat forum had the top position when I checked yesterday (reported in SEORoundTable).

Currently the spot's held by a site from the UK, with an actual forum thread from InternetMarketingResearch in third. The thread's got thousands of links pointing to it from supporter's sites.

This brings up an interesting question though - what does an optimizer proove if he ranks high from thousands of links from forum friends?

This contest won't really test SEO from a business perspective, as your forum buddies aren't likely to get into the team spirit to help you rank your client's site higher. Unless you pay them to be on your team of course.

Of course it's not a forum thread that's ranked at the top now. It does appear, though, that the winner of this particular contest will be the person with the most friends.

The real winner of the contest is DarkBlue - SEOers often sell affiliate products. DarkBlue is an affiliate network. The SEO world is buzzing about the contest. Guerilla marketing at its best, folks.

You can follow the race with this Nigritude Ultramarine graphing tool from DigitalPoint (who's ALWAYS on point with new Google tools).

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Garrett French
Editor, WebProNews.com
http://www.WebProNews.com

This is a strange contest. It would have been more impressive if it was a term that actually meant something and had no results.

I would be VERY surprised if such a 2 word phrase exists. Anything that exists can be bought or discussed on the internet.

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SEO Firefox Extension | Free Link Development Tool | New SUSE Linux Users

I think the contest is BRILLIANT PR for DarkBlue and a huge promotional tool for SearchGuild. Have you seen how many posts there are a SG? Every other forum out there including this one is sizzling the contest and linking to DB and SG. I am thinking about doing something similar for 5 Star Affiliate Programs only linking to a real search term that would help my site.

Talk about a great way to get a ton of SEO pros tuned into your name and participating in your forum.

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Linda Buquet :: Affiliate Management Consultant
*5 Star* Affiliate Programs
Affiliate Forums and Blogs

Nigritude Ultramarine on eBay!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=4169074432

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http://www.webupdates.biz/jon/banners/sma120x60b.jpg
Outsource Your Task-Based Labor and 24/7 Support

Getting top rankings on Google is about who can get the most links. I think you expose a lot about your business with a contest like this.

I'm sure Google is aware of it and watching to see where all the links are coming from.

Just my two cents.

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Custom Website Design | Search Engine Optimization | Web Design Templates

I think the contest results will show no "real" SEO skills by the contestants. Considering that the word "Nigritude Ultramarine" was basically non-existent previous to the contest, ranking number 1 for it can only show off your SPAM techniques and I think if you look at the current websites ranking for this term you will agree.

Creating a contest for an existing term with existing popularity will be a much more reputable way in displaying SEO skills. I do agree that this was a great way to get publicity for Dark Blue.

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KBK Marketing | Search Marketing Blog | Cheap Web Hosting

Sounds like a good way for Google to identify the methods of SEO's and engineer accordingly...

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Make more money by spending less time designing!
Website Design Software and Website Builder

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yes, google will definitely get some more info to fine tune its algo.

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Investment Newsletter | Golf Forums

Honestly, any professional SEO would be busy promoting their client's sites and not playing games.

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Lizette le Clus-Fox
MD - WebScore Australia
Search engine optimisation Brisbane

I have been in the top five, generally in the top three since the competition started. Already in this competition I have got:

• - Fun
  - Community
  - A new awareness of SEO for the non SEO community
  - A new obsession, less sleep :)
  - More PR for my site*
  - More PR for future business*
  - Higher rankings for my business related terms*
  - More contacts for future link requirements
  - Job offers
  - PR for New Zealand - we are a land of achievers
  - Marketing of abilities
  ...

* although uncertain how many links will stay after the competition

The competition is about not only onpage SEO, but the other SEO skill that of networking and the ability to obtain links.

There are many fantastic things about this competition. I like watching, learning, & deciding for myself why Google has ranked the participants in the SERP order. Even more fun when Google has not yet updated PR and backlinks. Like how for the competition for Mangeur De Cigogne, the first SERP has PR6, the third has PR7.

All the best.

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T2DMan - Michael Brandon

Search Engine Marketing SEO - specializing in SEO vBulletin

Ok, tet's see if knowing various European languages and promoting a Web site over Google's European divisions and EU Search Engines can get you on top of Google's main SERP.

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Made in Europe.

here is my Nigritude Ultramarine experiment page:

http://www.rascalpants.com/nigritude-ultramarine.asp

I plan on taking on the world with only 4 words. After my testing on the phrase Kansas City New Media (http://www.kcnewmedia.com) and being ranked number 1 on Google for about 9 months until I added some content, I have concluded that less is definately more...

I have always been ranked number 1 on google for rascalpants (http://www.rascalpants.com) but I don't think there is a high demand for that phase :)

wish me luck...

rascalpants
New Media Designer
--------------------
www.rascalpants.com
www.kcnewmedia.com
www.rascalpants.com/nigritude-ultramarine.asp


P.S. This is like a Googlewhack, and almost as fun...

Opp's never mind:)

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"Working it as we speak" www.gotum.com Designing the future today. Tomorrow if I'm real busy john7@gotum.com Newest site: www.loveti.co.uk

Using the term "Professional SEO" is quite funny when you think about it...

I would compare someone who promotes themself as an SEO Professional as a used car salesmen who works at an old gas station turn dealership.

Most of what you hear from SEO professionals is scams and SPAM...

Unless you offer up other New Media skills to a customer such as web development or graphic design, then you are not giving your client what they actually need. I personally don't even charge for SEO optimization, because that should be provided with the original New Media services... otherwise it is like a plumber fixing the leak in your sink and then trying to charge more to turn the water back on...

and I think this competition is a great way for people to blow off some steam and have fun.

<more self promotion>
Nigritude Ultramarine - http://www.rascalpants.com/nigritude-ultramarine.asp
</end self promotion>

I totally agree with you Rascalpants that SEO should be a normal intrinsic part of website design. Only problem, I have not found many webdesigners that know how to do the basic onpage SEO, and site SEO, let alone the links required especially from ontopic sites. Even the forums like this one are not "properly SEO'ed" in that they have the title starting with "WebProWorld" then the topic, rather than the other way around.

I thought that VBulletin would be SEO friendly, yet I have had to do a lot of tweaks to get my copy correct.

There are so many things to know about computers, software, design, ... it is sometimes great to bring in someone to help out if you don't have the skills yourself. I got my initial training from an SEO expert when I first started. Absolutely invaluable.

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T2DMan - Michael Brandon

Search Engine Marketing SEO - specializing in SEO vBulletin

You're right rascalpants SEO should be a part of general site constuctions.

I think it's more like building a ten story building and asking the client "Would you like me to put in some foundations"? ;)

The problem is there are too many desk-top-publishers trying to build ten story buildings when they haven't even build a garden shed.

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"Working it as we speak" www.gotum.com Designing the future today. Tomorrow if I'm real busy john7@gotum.com Newest site: www.loveti.co.uk

I agree, but in very competitive industries it is too time consuming to do both. I spend all day doing SEO and I still have to outsource several areas simply because there is not enough time to do everything.

If I was in charge of designing the web site, doing the back-end programming, etc...I wouldn't have much time for SEO resulting in no rankings. This type of situation requires an inhouse individual dedicated to SEO or outsourcing it to a company that does.

I also agree many "SEO Professionals" are scam artist looking for a quick dollar, but on the other hand there are "SEO Professionals" that concentrate on long term return and usability.

As far as the contest, I find it interesting. I'm not personally participating due to lack of time and resources. DarkBlue certainly has gained a lot of exposure through this. As the old saying goes, any press is good press.

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Aaron
http://www.themadhat.com

Will the winner become and SEO celebrity?

Didn't I just see this exact (to the word) post in another thread?

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Mel Nelson
Expert SEO | Cheap used cars

Yes you did - I have deleted other thread.

CBP

my sentiments exactly, ive been working on the web for 7 years now and this has got my interest... nobody understands when I jump up and down yelling.. I went up 2 positions :)

I agree with your post.

Our company is in it for the long term and most of our clients have been with us for over 3 years.

Sure it would help a lot of businesses if web designers did proper SEO work. But as has been said, there are few who know how, and I bet not many of them spend hours doing keyword research, as in which keywords bring the best conversions vs lookielou's etc.

And I bet even less of them take the time to research what the Search engine algorithm's trends are, and go into the site and make the necessary changes to STAY at the top of the search engines.

You don't charge for seo?

Then I imagine you don't do seo

for a relatively non-competitve term I might spend around a 50 -100 hours

Are you just throwing in that extra with your web design

I agree with ferret77 SEO is not throwing in a title and meta tags and calling it done.

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Custom Website Design | Search Engine Optimization | Web Design Templates

When I launched SEO lab earlier this year, I considered setting up a SEO competition along similar lines. The reason I didn't is because it always seemed a moronic idea to alert the search engines to your own creative ways of optimising - I saw it as way of trying to self-destruct the industry. The whole competition looks like a load of fun for some people, but frankly it's like watching people cutting themselves, in my opinion.

Do watch out for a big update in the works - maybe applied 6 months down the line - something that'll make Florida look like a day out at the creche. When the SEOs start grumbling then, just remind them they told the search engines how to devlue their links.

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SEO lab
internet marketing
business forums

Well SEO is certainly not about how many links you can get in:)

Talk about SPAM

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Jack Mitchell
Home Shopping Online | Sports To Go | Shopping To Go

sorry I have not been back to answer your questions...

yes, I normally build in seo techniques that I have found to be a "proven constant".

You must not be very good at what you do to spend that many hours optimizing a web site. And I think a real professional does not even charge hourly rates... If you can't do a good enough job of estimating how much money and time it would take to complete a task, then you might want to hire an accountant.

If I told my client that I charge $125 - $150 an hour they would laugh in my face. But if I told them they can invest $5000 into the future marketing efforts of their company, which will give them a 500% sales increase by the end of the year, then they will be signing the check before I stop talking.

enough about pricing and project stuff...


like I mentioned previously, I was ranked number 1 on google for 9 straight months while I only had a few words on the page. I used my other web sites to link to the site in question, and did nothing else.

I simply explain to my clients that if you want to get ranked on google or other search engines, then you must supply content that is rich with the keywords you would like to be associated with.

Then I give them the bad news... I tell them they need to search for other like minded online entities and have them partner up. Share links and related press releases that talk about each other's business and "how working together has helped blah blah blah..."

If they were willing to pay me extra to help them find these contacts, then I would charge them some small additional administrative fee.

I think all SEO professionals are using roughly the same techniques, but their clients that do the best are the ones that have good content, inward links, and a topic that is uncommon.

my computer repair shop is not ever going to rank as high as my colored glass blowing gorilla client....


rp

Where is "I,Brian"? Come back and comment on this prediction you made. 6 months from that date (6/04) is about right...give or take. The SEO place got shaken up around Feb '05 didnt it?

wow how do you find this post....thats some creepy prediction.