Over the weekend, Aaron Wall got a chance to talk to Google’s “Mick Jagger of Search”, Matt Cutts, in an in depth interview. The interview covers a variety of topics including SEO and spam, algorithms and the evil that Google does.
The first question out of the gate was “Is all SEO spam?” Cutts responded, “Absolutely not–I need to do a post about this on my blog sometime.” He discussed search engine optimization being mostly white-hat. Things that fall into the SEO spam category are things outside Google’s guidelines. He included hidden text, hidden links, doorway pages and others.
He talked about what happens when Google makes changes to the algorithms. Sometime, sites get tossed in the process. He said the key to minimizing chances of getting tossed out was to, “Make a great site, and try to make sure that site is recognized and this earns organic links.”
When asked the ultimate question about “What is the most evil thing Google has ever done?” He commented he doesn’t always agree with every decision Google makes. He said it’s tough sometimes because of the statement, Google is judged “against ideal behavior.” While that means they’ve set a very high bar, it also means that in some cases, it’s extremely difficult when certain issues aren’t just “Google-only.”
It’s a strong interview Wall did and Cutts provided a lot of useful information. The only real beef with the interview was a portion of the very first statement, “go Tarheels!” Especially since his initial schoolwork was at the University of Kentucky. It’s a personal matter though. Basketball rivalries run deep.
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
