Best Course of Action ?

A Competitor is Gaming Google

[WillG]

A competitor of mine is gaming the system. A look at their links and its easy to see. The question is what to do about it. They have risen very quickly to the first page and are paying someone to do SEO for them. Based on the way it is done ( a blog network of unrelated sites to the niche ) I am willing to bet the SEO is coming from overseas.

Should I wait for Panda to catch them assuming it does or report them directly to google. This Seo company is doing anchor text on the home page of each blog and there are 100's of them. They are also doing it for many others in different niches. I cant stand a cheater play fair or go home. As I see it they are buying links or is this just the way its done these days.

Will

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Should I wait for Panda to catch them assuming it does or report them directly to google.

You can report them if you like but it is highly unlikely that Google will take any direct action. In my experience they tend to wait for the algo to catch "offenders" (if in fact they are offending.

.

[Crush]

Stop being a pussy. Also google is not really interested.I suggest you work out how to beat them and that could even be emulating what you see.

[Planet13]

I suggest you work out how to beat them and that could even be emulating what you see.

Just remember that if you do try to emulate their technique, it should be on a site that you don't mind if it get penalized by google for a year and two, in which it fails to rank for ANYTHING.

[wheel]

I cant stand a cheater play fair or go home.

They're not cheating this isn't a game, and Google's guidelines are not 'rules' nor are they any definition of good, ethical, or fair. Google's guidelines are for Google's financial benefit, not for some sense of koombuya world peace.

[Planet13]

@ WillG

Did you decide on what you are going to do?

[WillG]

I have not yet decided. Chances are the domain owners have no idea what their SEO company is doing. Watching their ranks and links for the moment.

[CainIV]

Panda has nothing to do with what they are doing.

They made a decision to balance on the side of risk to generate reward. Apparently you haven't made a decision.