US-based Filipino wins world search engine optimization tilt

By Erwin Oliva - INQUIRER.net

MANILA , Philippines -- A Filipino Internet marketing specialist based in San Diego, California has won a global search engine optimization (SEO) contest.

Benj Arriola, who has been designing websites, received the top award in a contest that required participants to use every possible web design style, strategic content and Internet marketing skills to make a certain key phrase rank high in search engines like Google.

Arriola's winning href="http://www.globalwarmingawarenessblog.com/">blog, which focused on the global warming awareness issue, ranked number one as the contest ended.

Arriola later wrote in his http://blog.benjarriola.com/2007/05/02/seo-world-championship-is-over personal blogthat his victory was possible with the help of Filipino search engine marketing specialists who have organized themselves as SEOPhilippines.

"This win is not completely my win. It is a win of the SEOPhilippines," Arriola said, adding that the SEO skills of Filipinos have increasingly becoming more recognized by the global industry.

Aileen Apolo, Google country consultant for the Philippines, wrote in her personal personal blog that Arriola's win is recognition of the growing pool of SEO specialists in the country.

"Filipinos be proud! Benj Arriola, a Filipino based in the US won the SEO World Championship for his GlobalWarming Awareness entry. Aside from the accolade of being the winner for the first ever SEO World Championship, Benj is going to receive a brand new Citroen C2 car. Woohoo!" she said.

"The recent win of Benj Arriola in the SEO World Championships has definitely put the Philippines in the search engine optimization/marketing outsourcing map," she added.

Apolo revealed that Arriola is actually a chemist by education, and has taught at the De La Sale University.

"The SEO contest is a test of one's skill on ranking a certain key phrase in search engines. But the real SEO work is much more than that. I [am] happy I was able to showcase my skills in this contest and was victorious, but I have high respect for all the other competitors since it was not an easy win. I was still worried and nervous up to the last minute of a come-from-behind win from the other competitors. I would like to add that 20 percent of my efforts in getting the top spot in this contest were through the help of the many SEO professionals in the Philippines," Arriola explained.