|
Matt Cutts vs. Alan Greenspan - Matt Cutts SEO Spam Wizard Makes BusinessWeek
-
Matt Cutts is perhaps the most visible Googler who speaks to the subject of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Web spam, and the art of getting to the top of Google. But Cutts isn't just an adorable Googler. He, like Alan Greenspan, is a man with a mission: guide Google through the choppy waters of the Internet, advocate fiercely for Google's needs, and deal with a media environment that hangs on his every word. Cutts, like Greenspan, has mastered the art of vague speak.
|
By Jason McDonald
Senior SEO Instructor - JM Internet Group.
Posted: March 20, 2011
|
Contents:
Making BusinessWeek, Mr. Cutts: You Have Arrived
In a week crowded with the news of the terrible tragedy in Japan, Matt Cutts made BusinessWeek. The article, entitled, Matt Cutts: The Greenspan of Google, explained that Cutts and Greenspan share many similarities.
Here are a few of the great Greenspan / Cutts similarities pointed out by BusinessWeek -
|
Alan Greenspan
|
Matt Cutts
|
|
Sworn Enemy: Inflation
|
Sworn Enemy: Black Hat SEO
|
|
Barometer: How he holds his briefcase
|
Barometer: Twitter Feed
|
I have compared Cutts in other posts to the White House press secretary. Whether he is chief of the Federal Reserve or the head of the White House press releations staff, Matt Cutts is certainly both a person to watch if you follow Google / SEO but also a person to be skeptical of. His job is not to educate and be friendly to all of us SEO folk; his job is to hinder the gaming of Google through inappropriate black hat SEO. That said, watch Cutts, listen to Cutts, but don't ever make the mistake of thinking he is your friend. He is an official Google spokesperson, who tell us as much (or as little) as Google would like us to know.
The Art of Vaguespeak
Both Greenspan and Cutts have mastered what might be called the art of vaguespeak. They say so much; so many, many words. But communicate so little. Then everyone pounces on and parses every little word. The recent Google Farmer update for example, was "explained" by Cutts without really giving us insight into how it worked. Greenspan, in turn, has done this many, many times with the economy.
My final observation would be that both Greenspan and Cutts are often wrong about many issues even as they are revered by the cognoscenti. Greenspan failed to see the sub-prime meltdown; similarly, having watched many of Cutt's YouTube videos, I often get the distinct impression that he doesn't really know how Google works. Perhaps he doesn't. He makes his money, after all, directly from Google and doesn't have to sweat it out in the trenches of SEO; Greenspan, similarly, has spent his whole career in government, think tanks and Wall Street... Not exactly a small businessman with his feet wet, and acumen sharpened by the down-and-dirty world of real business.
At any rate, both serve powerful, organizational employers and as such have mastered the art of both being famous but not really being informative. That's their job, ultimately!
Beyond Matt Cutts
How do you as a small businessperson or marketer get beyond the Matt Cutts / Greenspan phenomenon? Certainly both men are important; certainly you should pay attention to the official line coming from each man (Greenspan, not so much, now that he has retired). But, for Google at least, there is a very practical cause-and-effect game being played in SEO.
Change your on page factors. See what happens. Change your off page factors. See what happens. Pay attention to your competitors' changes. See what happens. Beyond the vaguespeak of a Matt Cutts lies the real world of effective SEO. Don't confuse the two.
|
|
