Why you should help OTHERs to the top of Google

byKWest

208 followers

12 years ago

As SEO and Internet Marketing have grown over the years, it seems to me that too much has become focused on beating the competition, instead of cooperating for mutual benefit. It's become so competitive that some marketers have stooped to destroying the competition though negative SEO.

It's just crazy that people have come to think this way. It is a lose/lose/lose situation. If you engage in these tactics, your competition loses because you have directly caused them harm. The potential customers that you were fighting over lose, because they have less information to chose from. Consequently Google loses because their customers are less happy. Eventually Google will find a way to punish the offending site. Eventually there will be ways to determine which people are engaging in negative SEO. Then you will lose, even if it is not right away.

Once your tactics are exposed. your reputation will be permanently tarnished. Does anyone remember Tonya Harding for her quality skating? Nope, she is remembered by most as an accomplice in the pathetic attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. Negative SEO should be called Tonya Harding SEO, because proponents are basically trying to break their opponents knees and should be treated as she was treated.

The Evert-Navratilova rivalry presents a different, positive model for SEO. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova dominated women's tennis for 15 years. They were also friends. They had different styles and different strengths, but shared a commitment to be the best. Their rivalry changed an entire sport for the better. They each benefited from the rivalry, but their respective fans also benefited from more exiting games. Tennis as a whole benefited as it became a more competitive and entertaining sport with happier and more numerous fans. It was win/win/win all around.

So, how can we develop a SEO model based on E-N (Evert-Navratilova)? First, website owners must change their point of view and try to see these competitors as allies as well. SEO can become a win/win/win situation, instead of the lose/lose/lose Harding/Kerrigan scenario above.

Lets say Website A (your competition) and Website B (your site) both promote Aff_product Q and Aff_product Z. For argument sake, both sites have quality, unique content that ranks fairly well. Both sites write reviews comparing Aff_products Q and Z. Having different styles and strengths, Website A writes about Q's value over Z, Website B highlights Z's superior quality. Individually both could do well with attracting visitors and sales.

Imagine, however, what could happen if they both link to each other's review and also share the other's reviews on their social networks. With this strategy, they each rank on the first page of Google for different, but similar, long tail keywords. Visitors who find Website A, will also find Website B, with more information. Visitors who find Website B, will also have the opportunity to access Website A's quality opinion and website. Both sites will benefit from having more visitors and sales overall. Google will like the quality links and content. Customers will benefit from two or more high quality reviews, helping them make more informed decisions. Their trust in both sites will improve. Win/win/win.

Now imagine that there are even more sites with different strengths and styles selling the same products. SEO is not Tennis; so the benefits of this strategy can potentially multiply with more players. It will only work, however, if each website is first committed to creating quality content, each site help the others by linking, liking, and sharing where it is appropriate to their customer base, and no one is breaking the other players' knees.

The question is how to organize the websites in a particular niche to accomplish this in a natural way that benefits everyone, and especially makes Google happy. I've been tossing an idea around in my head about this. I'll have to check on some things to see if my idea will work. To give you a hint: it builds off the idea of web rings, the IM of the stone age internet. Stay tuned.... and don't be afraid to give your "competition" a little boost in the meantime.

Sources: http://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2010/09/10/chris-evert-and-martina-navratilova-the-best-rivalry-ever/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonya_Harding