How to run competitions on Google+.

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

• 
  Rob Baker: I've noticed that some are running competitions, where entrants are asked to blog about xyz and include a link back to the website running the competition, or to the competition page. ;
  
  This seems like paid links? Therefore Google wouldn't like it?
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  Kerry Butters: It does seem to be a slightly underhand approach to obtaining links that Google may very well frown upon.
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  Tim Capper: It is against Google T&C .... But the clever people use a Buffer site.
  
  They get another site, blogger to host the competition and judge the competition.
• 
  Rob Baker: +Tim Capper ;Sneaky, I never even thought of that. Do they then link from the buffer site to their main site?
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  Tim Capper: Hey +Rob Baker ;No even better.
  
  So you have a comp that you want to run, you find a "buffer" site to run and judge the competition with your prize. ;
  
  But the competition follows "create a blog post on why you like this product and how you use this product" the best blog entry Wins.
  
  So you have the "buffer site" hosting the competition, then you have all the blogs creating an entry about your product, linking to the product they used, which now point back to your site.
  
  Fashion is the biggest user of this, they do the " create an evening outfit for under £250" - reference each piece that makes up  ;your outfit and describe why you chose each piece
  
  Very Clever