Las Vegas Search Engine Result Positions Watch

I sit down at least once daily and ask myself a simple question:

"What can I do to make the world a better place today?" I don't always have an answer to this question, but I feel it is always worth asking.

Recently, an idea dawned while I was considering what direction I wanted to go with in the development of the avwebvisions.com website.

In fact, the idea spawned when I was checking google search engine rankings for a term including the words "Las Vegas", and noticed that two "search engine spammers" had claimed spots in the top twenty results. The methods they used to achieve their results included server-side technology that was in violation of acceptable practices, as defined by all of the major internet search engines.

This was right after I had a frustrating experience with a company that locked up nearly all of the top twenty results using questionable search engine optimization methods for a product I was looking for. To make matters even worse, they were out of stock of this item!

Every link, which I dutifully followed from the search results page, eventually led back to this single company who so diligently applied brute force to present a product they could not sell! I spent about 45 minutes looking to buy a specific product, and ended up opting for a different brand. In the internet world, when all roads lead to Rome, there is a definite problem!

Those of us who have experience in such matters have strategies to deal with these types of situations, when we become irritated enough to take action. In fact, when I went back to capture screen shots of the search results to give an example, the websites were already long gone. One of the companies had an alternate site up and pointing to a subdomain in short order. This time, however, the SEOs played by the rules.

However, I thought to myself ( especially after having advised clients time and time again concerning similiar annoyances ), what about those who are not experienced?

How does the average surfer, or the average webmaster, identify when a company is using unethical methods to achieve high rankings? Furthermore, what can one do if one does suspect that such an occurance is effecting the usefulness of the major search engines for everyone?

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That's when the idea of the Search Engine Ranking Positions Watch was born ( SERPS Watch Las Vegas ). Why not design a tracking and reporting system that allows website owners and surfers to report results they feel are not authentic - meaning, results achieved using methods prohibited by the written acceptable guidelines published by the major search engines? Why not create a project limited to a region, to provide a focal point for study purposes and to help maintain manageability?

We would then do the rest! Preferrably, such situations would be handled quietly without any real conflict. Most people when caught with the hand in the cookie jar simply blush, and, being aware of the possible consequences, make any necessary adjustments. Some website owners never realize that those they have hired have jeopordized their entire online business by utilizing "ban-able" site optimization methods.

Implementing this idea, if done properly and with integrity, would help promote self-regulation in the search engine optimization industry and give concerned businesses and individuals recourse when facing intimidating and confusing situations. Eventually, or so the theory goes, such an "action group" could make a significant impact in deterring the constant battle between the search engine programmers -- forever modifying their extensive anti-spam algorithms -- and those who can't seem to help but step over that finely drawn line in the sand... That line that seperates the websites deserving high rankings based on revelant content from the websites acheiving results based on subversion.

Therefore, we present: SERPS Watch, Las Vegas!

Until we put our auto-submit form online, feel free to email us with any candidates for our experimental program. Due to conflicts of interest, we will not accept reports regarding websites offering any type of web services. Suspected spammers must achieve a top twenty ranking with a search term including the phrase "las vegas".

In the future, look for:

• Progress Reports: Those who refuse to change their tactics!
  • Documentation of methods used
  • Action updates concerning what has been done
  • Closure Reports on the resolution of the problem, entered into our ever-lasting archives
• The "One in a Million" site owner's award for authentic achievement of the #1 position on Google or All the Web for a term with more than one million results.
• Database driven Auto-submission form which cache's both the offending page and Google's cache of the offending page -- saved for our analysis and review.