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In the J.C. Penney story we covered yesterday via the NY Times, Matt Cutts of Google had some nice quotes.
A WebmasterWorld thread pulled out some, not specifically related to the link buying debate but related to overall Google SEO concepts.
Google's Matt Cutts told the NY Times reporter:
One piece of advice I give to S.E.O. masters is, don’t chase after Google’s algorithm, chase after your best interpretation of what users want, because that’s what Google’s chasing after.
Besides for spelling SEO weird, the advice is nothing new but something SEOs should really think more about.
Instead of being reactive to Google, be proactive - think where Google is going and go there. Yes, you are kind of chasing the algorithm that way, but think beyond the algorithm and chase after what Google wants.
Easier said than done - but many SEOs take this avenue, while others don't. I am not saying what is best, it depends on the long and short term goals of your campaigns.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Comments:
traxor
02/15/2011 02:23 pm
Interesting, I read an article recently outlining just that. I completely agree :-). Here at work we're constantly trying to explain that what Google wants in their SERPs is the same as what users want in their SERPs.
Webnauts
02/15/2011 02:24 pm
I always did what Matt Cutts quoted. And I must admit that it is the best quote I heard from him. I always think beyond the algorithm, but I chase after what users want. My favorite quote since years: "Optimizing for Search Engines With Users in Mind". That works best for me and my customers...
gyi
02/15/2011 11:25 pm
GGWIW (give google what it wants).
Jason Acidre
02/16/2011 07:15 am
That surely make sense, as Google is now focusing with semantic web, in which SEOs must as well focus on providing absolutely relevant pages to be retrieved by search engines. Well, in my honest opinion, it both works to both long and short term goals of any campaign, given that it denotes trust to both search engines and online users.
thetruth
02/16/2011 01:16 pm
Actually, Google is chasing after the systematized monetization of your efforts to chase after what users want.
Rob - Consumer Durable
02/17/2011 10:32 am
I agree with Matt!! If people like your site then Search Engine is bound to rank it higher.