brinked - 10:09 pm on Mar 2, 2011 (gmt 0)

MrFewkes,

There is just too many different kinds of sites out there to try to make a 1 size fits all. Some sites do not need to be updated frequently to thrive.

I can only go by the SERP's I monitor which only cover 8 different markets, only 2 of which are e-commerce.

What I am seeing is competitors who have multiple sites with similar content get knocked down. I am also seeing sites with poor backlink profiles get knocked down very far (lots of witewides, over useage of keywords, linkwheels, comment spam etc)

There is always a reason why a site ranks as high as it does, just like there is a reason why a site ranks as low as it does. You are seeing only the negatives of this site, but google clearly sees some value in it, unless the competition just is not that strong.

Remember, there are hundreds of factors. This site can be very popular on social groups, have strong backlinks that you cant see etc.

If you're whole approach is to wait for your competitors to all get knocked down by google, then that is the wrong way to go about it. All you can do is focus on your site and your business and make it better than your competition, and if you do that you will see the fruits of your labor in time. People have a way of finding out the best in a given market and then sharing it with others.