Anyone know how this happens...

Hi, I am new to SEO, I operate several fairly sites of my own and have decided that the key to being able to do whatever you want on the internet is through mastering SEO. So, I am here, plan to have many questions over the next several months and soak in all the information I can...

In doing this, I am looking a characteristics of top results on various search engines including Yahoo. Here is one that I can't figuire out..

Search Yahoo for "Geico". The large auto insurer. Result number 3 is the Progressive insurance website. I look at the source code for the progressive insurance site, and can't find the word geico anywhere. These two sites are competitors. How did Progressive get to be number 3 on a geico search without having optimized the site in any way that I can see for that search term?

Thanks

Probably has tons of backlinks to the site with the word Geico in it. Since you are new to SEO, start with the SEO Chat FAQ in my sig. And welcome.

I am not entirely new to this, and understand backlinks etc., but was wanting to identify all possible reasons for this. It probably is backlinks, but that suprises me in that Geico has been very protective of their trademark on search engines and was the first to sue google over adwords ads using the term "geico". I just find it hard to believe that a company as large as Progressive Insurance would use a competetor's trademark name in backlinks to its site. I am aware it happens for some of us small time webmasters looking for an edge, but I can't see it being a practice of a big company like this, especially going after a competetor's trademark that is known to sue over it.

Frankly, I was looking for some confirmation that it was likely backlinks with the trademark geico in it. When I get contacted by Progressive for targeting their trademark name for SEO, I can point to their own practices in my defense.

Finally, as I mention above, I know there is litigation regarding PPC keywords using trademarks, but does anyone know of companies going after anyone using traditional (not PPC) means of SEO for a trademark term? I have made a nice living on PPC sites using trademarked keywords but I can see this ending soon. That is why I would like to use SEO for those terms instead.

You can snoop a websites backlinks and find out what they are using for anchor text. But in this situation, I'll bet that there are a ton of sites linking to progressive so you will have a big job.

Rule #1, Yahoo is not your friend unless you have cash.
They're known for trying to monetize the search engine
world. For all we know, Progressive could've paid them for
that position.

wow I am curious to know the answer to this question also!
I did a little backward links search on Google and on yahoo for progressive.com, and to my surprise yahoo returned 65,600 while google returned none!!
And to add to the confusion, i looked at the anchor text used for backlinks and couldn't find the word Geico anywhere!
So this leaves me wondering: did they really pay yahoo to manipulate the serps and cheat us??
Anyway, I will be doing more research about this subject later today, as I'm too busy now...

They seem to use a network of sites with high Google PR. I have seen some competitors use it. Tried to trace who sells the advertising before but haven't gotten a response yet. Does the site do well in Google? From what you say they do well in Yahoo.

Thanks for the replies, but I know there is something fishy going on here on this one and solving it will tell us a lot about the practices of either Yahoo, Progressive, or both. I am just telling you, that Google previously protected using the search term "progressive insurance" in Adwords for trademark reasons. I was previously trying to get it. It really irks me that I can't use their trademark search term by paying for it, yet they go out and do the same thing in natural results on Yahoo for free (not really free, but you get the idea.) Either there is a SEO out there working for Progressive that knows something the rest of us don't (the real reason for this post), or Yahoo is dishing out favors for some reason. (the other reason for the post.) I would love for someone from Yahoo to make any attempt to explain this one within the confines of the parameters they claim publicly that matter for search results.

I dont think they pay anything. I got to first result for a big wird on yahoo for about 3 months without paying. Now i am not listed but it was because made some mistakes.

Check well for the anchor text of the links pointing at that site. if the word is not on the code, the only readon is because they have many back links pointing at them with that anchor text.
Or internal links as hell pointing at the home page with that anchor text.