SEO Contest

Official Leaderboard

1. Contest Overview

Advise is hosting an exclusive SEO competition challenging members to rank a brand-new, invented keyword. The participant who achieves the highest ranking for this keyword on Google (US) at the end of the 60-day period wins the prize pool and community bragging rights.

2. Contest Timeline

• Contest Start & Keyword Reveal: October 15th @ 12:00 PM Eastern
• Contest End & Final Ranking Snapshot: December 15th @ 1:00 PM Eastern
• Duration: 60 Days

3. Eligibility

• 3.1 Membership: Participation is restricted exclusively to active members of the Advise community. (Apply here to join)
• 3.2 Late Entry: Individuals may sign up for Advise membership and join the contest at any time during the 60-day period, though starting later presents a time disadvantage.
• 3.3 Advise Leadership Participation: Advise co-founders are permitted to participate. Co-founder Jacky will be competing. (See Section 8.4 for prize implications).

4. The Keyword

• 4.1 Definition: The target keyword will be a nonsense word with no existing search volume that Sean invents.
• 4.2 Reveal: The keyword will be announced within the Advise community Slack precisely on October 15th at 6:00 PM CET.

5. Domain Registration and Rules

• 5.1 Newly Registered Domains Only: All domains entered into the competition MUST be registered on or after October 15th. Expired, auctioned, or previously developed domains are strictly prohibited.
• 5.2 Maximum Domains: Each participant may register a maximum of three (3) active domains for the contest.
• 5.3 Registration Process: Participants must register their domains with the contest organizer (Sean) using the official registration form https://advise.so/seo-contest-registration/. Domains will not be included in the official tracking until they are registered. Domains not tracked in the official tracker will not be considered in the final results.
• 5.4 Domain Swapping:
  • Participants are permitted to swap one (1) of their registered domains for a new one exactly once during the 60-day contest period.
  • The replacement domain must also adhere to the “Newly Registered” criteria (registered on or after October 15th).
  • To execute a swap, the participant must notify Sean directly via Slack DM, providing the domain to be removed and the domain to be added.

6. Ranking Criteria and Tracking

The winner will be the registered domain ranking highest at the close of the contest (December 15th @ 1 PM Eastern).

• 6.1 Ranking Parameters:
  • Search Engine: Google
  • Region: US SERPs
  • Specific Location: New York, NY
  • Device: Desktop
• 6.2 Official Tracking: Rankings will be monitored using an official tracking tool set up and managed by Jacky. The results provided by this tool are final and will be the sole determinant of the winner.
• 6.3 Leaderboard: A leaderboard will be maintained at advise.so/seo-contest (this page). Updates are expected to be posted weekly.

7. Competition Conduct and Techniques

We encourage diverse strategies, but you must stick to these rules:

• 7.1 Allowed Techniques: All White Hat, Grey Hat, and Black Hat SEO techniques are permissible (including 301 redirects, PBNs, backlink acquisition, etc.), provided they comply with the rules below.
• 7.2 Prohibited Activities (Illegal): Any illegal activities, including hacking sites, defacing websites, or gaining unauthorized access to systems (competitor or otherwise), are strictly prohibited.
• 7.3 Negative SEO: Participants are strictly forbidden from engaging in negative SEO against other registered competitors in the contest. Negative SEO is defined as any activity intended to intentionally harm the rankings of another participant’s registered domain.
• 7.4 Reporting and Penalties: Suspected violations of rules 7.2 or 7.3 should be reported immediately to Sean via Slack DM. Any participant found guilty of violating these rules will be immediately disqualified (DQ) from the contest.

8. Prizes

• 8.1 Guaranteed Prizes:
  • $1,000 USD Cash Prize.
  • One-Year Free Subscription to Advise (Value: $1690).
• 8.2 Sponsorship Bonus: 50% of all revenue generated from contest sponsors will be added to the winner’s cash prize pool. (This bonus is dependent on securing sponsorships and is not guaranteed).
• 8.3 Prize Delivery: Prize delivery methods (e.g., PayPal, Wire Transfer) will be coordinated directly between Jacky and the winner upon completion of the contest.
• 8.4 The “Beat Jacky” Clause: If co-founder Jacky wins the contest, the $1,000 guaranteed cash prize will be donated to a charity of his + Sean’s choice. Defeating Jacky grants ultimate bragging rights.

9. General Conditions

Advise will register the Exact Match Domain (EMD) .com for the keyword (e.g., keyword.com) and 301 redirect it to the official contest rules page (advise.so/seo-contest). This domain cannot be used by participants.

All decisions made by the contest organizers (Sean and Jacky) are final.