saraazriel
Joined: Eons Ago
# Posts: 2
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Posted: 2003-Jul-16 21:34
I have a client that wants to ruin the rank of his competitor on Google. Currently my client is #1 and the competitor is #3. After searching the competitor's site for spam, it's clean. I am maintaining the position that my client is just going to have to suck it up because there is nothing I can do. Am I correct? I want to be absolutely sure before I have this fun conversation with him.
TIA, Sarah
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rmeigs
Joined: Jan 31, 2002
# Posts: 80
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Posted: 2003-Jul-16 21:46
IMHO, it really doesn't matter whether you could do something or not. Your ethics must control in this case. There is no way I'd be a part of such behavior and I'd find a tactful way of telling your client that.
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crash
Staff
Joined: Dec 02, 2003
# Posts: 10626
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Posted: 2003-Jul-16 21:58
You cannot hurt a competitor.. you can try your best to out rank them, and it sounds like you already did.
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saraazriel
Joined: Eons Ago
# Posts: 2
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Posted: 2003-Jul-16 22:20
Yup, that's what I figured. My client is the one without ethics. I'd be interested to see what he does next... without me. 
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Curious_Mark
Joined: Dec 02, 2001
# Posts: 2142
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Posted: 2003-Jul-16 22:56
Glad to hear that saraazriel, trying to hurt people just because they are experiencing success is very small and mean. Somebody always has to hold the other positions right?
It sounds like you have done your work very well for your client, now they must get more content and continue to improve in an ethical manner.
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Keensurfer
Joined: Nov 05, 1999
# Posts: 885
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 00:19
I don't know many in life that have got ahead (for long) by knocking someone else down. Perhaps some professional boxers, but that's their profession. Have your client focus on building themself up, not knocking others down. If the client doesn't go for it...move on! QUICKLY!
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WinningWays
Joined: Eons Ago
# Posts: 3433
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 00:24
I agree. If this client doesn't have any ethics and you somehow get tied to them, your reputation could get shot, too. Time to move on...
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sidney
Joined: Jul 17, 2003
# Posts: 75
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 03:15
I agree that was mean spirited, just trying to find a reason.
However I have a French site just ahead of me in the US listings for google. It only has French home listings, not US. I don't think it should be there. So, I am looking into this and don't feel bad about it.
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Keensurfer
Joined: Nov 05, 1999
# Posts: 885
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 03:35
sidney,
Sounds like even if people click on the French Home Listing site before yours, it will just make them appreciate yours when they click on it next and find it's relevancy.
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crash
Staff
Joined: Dec 02, 2003
# Posts: 10626
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 09:03
What makes you think listings are limited to the US? If you are talking about the SERP for 'home rentals' they have every right to rank there that you do. It's a generic term, how do you know the person searching isn't looking for rentals in France? I don't see you complaining about Sweden, or is that because they are just below you.
They are out ranking you because they out rank you. Just because you feel it's wrong for them to be there doesn't mean that they are doing something wrong.
While I didn't dig deep, I doubt Google will see these listings as a problem. It's not like they are pulling for a search 'home rentals california' and not presenting them with data on homes available for rent in CA.
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Curious_Mark
Joined: Dec 02, 2001
# Posts: 2142
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 11:45
Ditto crash, you said it. One must be careful to not try to be the judge and jury on the Internet. As long as the business is targeting appropriate terms for their business in an ethical manner, it is an open Internet as it should be.
Unless you are a master hacker there is nothing you can do to hurt them anyway. Just out-content them I say.
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sidney
Joined: Jul 17, 2003
# Posts: 75
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 13:28
Good feedback. I though this was the US version of google and that there were other google versions for other counties. That dot com was US and this was google US and that http://www.google.fr/ was the French version.
So I was wrong. I guess I need to translate my US site into French and post in http://www.google.fr/
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crash
Staff
Joined: Dec 02, 2003
# Posts: 10626
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Posted: 2003-Jul-17 16:29
Then you would be spamming according to google's guidelines.
you are missing the point here, they are not Trying to rank for this term, it's happening on it's own.
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HostDirectory
Joined: Eons Ago
# Posts: 12
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Posted: 2003-Aug-20 00:11
Hurting a competitor?
This is unethical, i would never do this for a client. In fact i would cease my work for anyone who asked me to do this.
There is enough room on the net for all of us without resorting to these methods. Even if you did find spam on the site, so what? You were wrong to look and even more wrong to try to use that to get them banned.
And even if you did knock that site off the list... there would be another which followed in its place.
Do you really want that kind of bad karma hanging over your neck?
I believe everything goes full circle, i should imagine the only thing that may become of this, is bad luck.
People are too busy these days worried about other peoples sucesses instead of using time to improve their own goals.
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St0n3y
Joined: May 01, 2002
# Posts: 1620
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Posted: 2003-Aug-20 07:49
I don't believe one should deliberately try and hurt a competitor, however I see no reason not to report spam to a search engine if found.
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loki
Joined: Eons Ago
# Posts:
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Posted: 2003-Sep-15 19:19
you're #1, they're #3. and there will always be a #3. just make sure your client is always #1.
and why does s/he care anyway ?
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