SEO Tip #142: Where Is Google Heading In The Future?
Matt Cutts: Well, the second part of what I said at Pubcon is that Google is trying to figure out what users want and so rather than you as an SEO chasing after Google, and Google chasing after what users want, if you chase directly after what users want, then both you and Google are trying to get to the top of the same mountain in some sense.
We’re both trying to figure out what users like and that’s the ideal sweet spot where we’re pursuing the exact same sort of things that you are trying to bake into your website. So, for example look at the things that people are complaining about. If people are complaining to Google that they don’t like content farms or article banks or whatever it is that they’re saying, “Oh Google I really don’t like this.”
We listen to that feedback as well and we try to figure out, ok if people really don’t like that how do we write an algorithm that’s going to return better content according to what our users are looking for? So we’re trying to suss out exactly what it is our users would like to have in the search results.
Maybe their complaining because one site is showing up to often in the top 10 and so they want more diversity, so we’ll write an algorithm to sort of say in our web search results, how do we encode more diversity?
So the thing to look for is try to get your finger on the pulse in terms of what users are unhappy about, what they want to see in Google, what they’re complaining about, because those are the exact same pieces of feedback that we’re listening to, even if we don’t talk about it outside of Google.
And so as a result if you’re able to assess, ok this is what Google is trying to change in order to be something that users like more, then you can provide those sorts of services or that functionality in your website. And that’s the sort of thing where now instead of chasing after the last algorithm and trying to respond to each individual update you’ll be sitting at the top of that mountain, hopefully whenever Googlebot crests, and we’ll find you right there.
About the Author
Andy Johnson has been on the Internet since the its dawn(ie his first computer program was recorded on cassette tape) and his first hard drive cost about as much his current MacBook. His first byline was in 1993 for a local newspaper rag he eventually helmed, and his last “real job” was at a computer start up which ended when it ended. Throughout it all he’s freelanced and blogged. Now he is mesmerized by Search Engine Optimization forever trying to “rise to the top” for the right reasons. He’s been married to his wife Julia for as long as he can remember and has two lovely, wonderful children. He looks forward to sharing the latest in the technical best for all the online entrepreneurs.