If SEO were like Apprentice, we would be the contestants, and Donald Trump – the big boss on Apprentice – would be our client – you don’t want to disappoint the big guy. So, we often find ourselves implementing certain strategies to get ahead of our competition – but it is important to remember that you have to play nice. If you DON’T, it could (and probably will) come back and bite you in the ass, probably being called to the boardroom for a little chat, perhaps never to be heard from again.
your friends close, and competitors closer
It is always a good idea to keep your friends close, however keeping a watchful eye on what your competitors are doing is also HUGELY important. Go ahead, check your competitor’s backlinks, their site (including subpages) frequently to see if they’re adding new “stuff,” also checking to see how many pages of content they have in relation to your own site…etc. Remembering that they’re watching YOU, too… makes me think of that beer advert on South African TV… and remember Dave, I’m watching you.
The issue between Annie Duke and Natalie Gulbis, LPGA golfer, during a season of Apprentice is a good example. By the third challenge, everyone knew how Duke was well connected. Natalie, who was assigned the role of Project Manager for this particular task, hadn’t had much luck raising funds, so she decided to attempt at taking advantage of Duke’s connections herself. Gulbis called Phil Hellmuth, who has won an impressive 11 World Series of Poker events, and ask him to donate money to her team – now keep in mind, Duke represented the opposing team. Hellmuth was interested, but suspicious. He called Duke, who was PISSED – if you watch the show, you’ll remember Duke’s heated phone conversation with Hellmuth.
In the end, Gulbis didn’t get any money from Hellmuth, because Duke quickly put the lid on that.
Natalie Gulbis also made Annie Duke REALLY mad. So mad, in fact, that Duke decided to keep an eye out on Gulbis and throw her a curve ball in the boardroom. After Natalie’s failed attempt at squeezing donations out of Hellmuth, Gulbis was on Annie Duke’s radar – keep your friends close, but your competitors closer. It’s safe to say that Duke gave her wealthy friends a “heads-up” about Gulbis, in the event that Gulbis tried to pull a fast one on Duke again. And, eventually, Gulbis was fired (she sucked) and Duke is in the final two.
