NOTE: If you wish to join our growing list of sponsors, please visit this thread.

SEO Philippines is proud to announce the launch of the most ambitious SEO contest ever: the P600,000 Bayanihan SEO Contest.

Bayanihan (pronounced buy-uh-nee-hun) is a Filipino tradition wherein neighbors would help a relocating family by gathering under their house, and carrying it to its new location. More generally, the word bayanihan has come to mean a communal spirit that makes seemingly impossible feats possible through the power of unity and cooperation.

SEO Philippines takes the bayanihan spirit to the SEO world with the first ever social SEO contest. After two highly successful keyword ranking contests (Isulong SEOPH and Ituloy AngSulong) that saw individual SEOs fight for the top spot in all three major search engines (Google, Yahoo! and MSN), we’re breaking new grounds by introducing a team-based point system that will revolutionize the way all future SEO contests are run.

The Concept

Here’s how the Bayanihan Point System (BPS) works:

Points are awarded to sites that appear in the first 100 results for the contest keyword. The contestant that has the highest point total at the end of the contest is declared the overall winner.

To illustrate, Site A is ranked 25th in Google, 78th in Yahoo! and 17th in MSN. Based on the Bayanihan Point System (see chart below), that site has a total of 46 points (19 + 6 + 21). If that same contestant has another contest entry (Site B) and Site B ranks 11th in Google, his second entry is good for 23 points. The BPS will add up all the points earned by all the sites that the contestant owns. In this case, his total point count is 69 (46 + 23).

To determine which sites belong to which contestant, a unique tracking ID will be used throughout the contest. This tracking ID will be embedded in the contest code that you will put on your site as part of the contest requirements. You can put your contest code on your friends’ sites; if those sites are in the top 100 of any of the three search engines, the points they earn will be credited to you. The more sites you can put your contest code on, the more chances you have of breaking the top 100 which means more BPS points for you.

How to Join

NOTE: Contest Code generator temporarily offline. Please check back again tomorrow.

1. To get the official contest code, go to the Contest Code generator page on BayanihanSEO.com. You will be asked to enter your full contact information. All winners will be required to present valid IDs when claiming their prize.
2. For the BPS software to recognize your contest entry, the official, unaltered contest codes need to be present on the specific page that is ranking. If the BPS software cannot find the official contest code on the specific page, no points will be credited to you. Random checks of websites in the top 100 will be conducted throughout the duration of the contest. Any attempt to modify the contest code will be grounds for disqualification.

The Bayanihan Point System

Contest Prizes

We will have two contest checkpoints (September 14 and November 23, 2007) before the final awarding ceremonies on January 25, 2008. The top 10 overall winners at these checkpoint dates will win the following prizes:

For Contest Checkpoint 1 (September 14, 2007), we’re giving away the following:

1. Top 1 Overall – P30,000.00 cash
2. Top 2 Overall – P20,000.00 cash
3. Top 3 to Top 5 Overall – Three (3) Brand New Apple 1 GB iPod Shuffle™ worth P5,000 each

For Contest Checkpoint 2 (November 23, 2007), we’re giving away the following:

1. Top 1 Overall – Brand New Canon EOS 400D™ / Digital Rebel XTi™ worth P50,000
2. Top 2 Overall – P20,000.00 cash
3. Top 3 Overall – P10,000.00 cash
4. Top 4 to Top 5 Overall – Two (2) Brand New Apple 1 GB iPod Shuffle™ worth P5,000 each

For the Final Checkpoint (January 25, 2008), we are giving away the following prizes to the best of the best:

1. Top 1 Overall – Brand New Samsung LA-32R81B™ with Samsung HT-Q20™ Home Theater System worth P70,000
2. Top 2 Overall – Brand New Asus A8FM Core™2 Duo Notebook worth P54,000
3. Top 3 Overall – Brand New Sony PlayStation 3™ Console (60GB Version) worth P25,000
4. Top 4 to Top 5 Overall – Two (2) Brand New Apple 1 GB iPod Shuffle™ worth P5,000 each

That’s not all! SEO Philippines is always keen to recognize individual ranking achievements. Hence, all the top 5 sites on Google, Yahoo! and MSN get instant cash prizes during the final checkpoint!

1. Rank 1 in Google, Yahoo! or MSN: P23,000 each
2. Rank 2 in Google, Yahoo! or MSN: P17,000 each
3. Rank 3 in Google, Yahoo! or MSN: P12,000 each
4. Rank 4 in Google, Yahoo! or MSN: P8,000 each
5. Rank 5 in Google, Yahoo! or MSN: P5,000 each

For each checkpoint, SEO Philippines will also be raffling off prizes like geek gadgets, computer peripherals and other items.

Additional Contest Mechanics

1. Contest starts July 1, 2007 and ends January 25, 2008 at 8:00 PM.
2. Checkpoint dates are as follows: September 14 and November 23, 2007 at 8:00 PM.
3. The contest is open to all Filipinos. It’s also open to non-Filipinos who can be present at the awarding ceremonies. If a non-Filipino should win and he’s not physically present at the event, he is disqualified from the contest.
4. There is no domain age requirement. All domains are in.
5. The contestant that has the highest combined points (as computed by the BPS software) will be declared the overall champion. The contest entries that have the second and third highest combined points will receive the second and third overall prizes, respectively.
6. The decision of the contest organizers is final.

Contest Sponsors

We would like to thank our sponsors for the Bayanihan SEO contest, namely:

1. SQL Solutions (Platinum Sponsor) develops SQL Server tools that simplify the task of diagnosing and resolving Microsoft SQL Server performance problems. SQL Solutions also offers Remote DBA, SQL performance tuning, and SQL performance monitoring services to help companies manage their Microsoft SQL Server databases.
2. Digital Filipino (Gold Sponsor): DigitalFilipino.com is the country’s premiere e-commerce resource site. It sells e-commerce books, Philippine Internet history documentary, and various research reports. The site is also known for its two premium communities: the DigitalFilipino.com Club and DigitalFilipino - Philippine Software Process Improvement Network (for more details please see E-commerce Community, Software Process Improvement, E-Commerce, Filipina, Write at Home and Advertising Income)
3. Philippine Photography Gallery
4. GoIndustry

Contest Keyword

Lastly, the contest keyword for the Bayanihan SEO keyword ranking contest is paradise philippines, a testament to the beauty and splendor of our 7,000+ islands and the strong character and bayanihan spirit of Filipinos all over the world.