We are going through a very frustrating period with Google right now. They began modifying their search and index algorythems in May and since that time the directory has been in a constant state of flux. Unfortunately, until they complete these damn changes we can’t really adapt to the new system.
Up until now Google was fairly consistent in their behavior and you could count on being indexed with a page rank 3 and a good number of back links within three months time. Since May that has gone out the window. It has negatively effected 90% of the webmasters I speak with and we are very upset with the changes.
Seemingly spammers and tricksters are getting the top spots for now during the transition period. The good news is I don’t think this will hold true after the dust settles and we get the “Final” Google package. I think at that time we will see Google reflect higher quality sites with true link popularity in their searchs. Until that happens all we can continue to do is build good sites, add quality content and exchange links wisely with relevant peers.